Beautiful Things
by bitemeplease235
Summary: Bella leaves for an early acceptance into the prestegious art school of her dreams. There she meets 5 stunning individuals whose creativity astound her, esp. an attractive pianist. As the year passes, will these 6 bloom as artists or wilt into mediocrity?
1. Introductions

Art- a creation of beautiful things

Art- beautiful objects

Art- creative beauty

"Argh!" I shouted in frustration, throwing my bit of charcoal down. I had been sketching the same face for weeks now. The beautiful mop of bronze hair, the full mouth with a slight frown, the eyes. Oh, the eyes. They were my downfall. I had a whole sketchbook filled with them, all of them imperfect. Those perfect, smoldering topaz eyes. They were so full of emotion and so complex. I hadn't gotten one good sketch in. Maybe if I actually had a name to the face… but I had no idea if this man even existed.

I packed up the last bit of my supplies and set them gently in a box marked fragile. I was flying out to a school for the arts in Oklahoma. A secluded little town, much like Forks, that was perfect for such a school. Surrounded by acres and acres of beautiful, open grasslands, this school could support an artist and help to shape them. I had dreamt of attending since I was a small child.

"Bella? C'mon, we're gonna be late!" Charlie called. My father, Charlie Swan, was the Chief of Police in the small town of Forks. I had moved there my junior year of high school to give my mom and her new husband some time alone. I felt awful leaving him alone when I left. He hardly knew how to cook, let alone do laundry. But when we got the news that I could start during winter break of my senior year, he all but shoved me out.

"Coming Dad!" I shouted over my shoulder as I struggled to tape my final box. I had always been clumsy, so it was no surprise that I tripped on the way out.

The ride to the airport was quiet, the anxiety filling the small car. When it came time for goodbyes, I turned and hugged Charlie tightly. I choked out an I love you before I stumbled over to the plane.

Thankfully, the flight was only a few hours. It gave me time to get good and nervous before I got to my dream school. I would be starting with the rest of its freshman class on their first day too, but instead of being graduated from high school for 6 months, I would have only been out of high school for two weeks. I was a special case, one who needed the school's foundation immediately. Whether this was good or bad, I didn't know.

When I staggered off the plane, the sudden bright light threw me for a moment. Forks was a town that was constantly rained upon. It was sunny maybe 10 days out of the year, so the bight light was un-familiar at first. I squinted for a moment, letting my eyes adjust. That's when it happened.

Someone bumped into me from behind. I turned around instinctively to see who it was, and my jaw threatened to unhinge itself.

It was the man I had been sketching. He was even more glorious outside of my mind. I felt disappointed for a moment, realizing that I would never be able to truly capture such a beauty. I quickly lost track of that thought when I saw his face. The way his chin jutted out indignantly, the sharp contrast between the shadows his cheekbones created and his pale complexion. The way his mouth was set, a slight frown to it. And the eyes. They made me want to cry, that's how breathtaking they were. Two golden orbs caught in a face, two crystal balls that showed the depth of his soul. They seemed to turn from a hard, cold mass of deliberately placed topaz flecks to molten, smoldering pools of gold as they gazed down at me.

"Excuse me. I'm terribly sorry for bumping into you." He said kindly. His voice was just as beautiful, like a chorus of bells harmonizing with each other in perfect time.

"No, it was my fault. I wasn't paying attention." I mumbled, blushing as I realized that he had probably seen my staring.

"Edward Cullen." He introduced himself, sticking out his hand. "And I truly am sorry."

"Bella Swan." I replied, bravely sticking out my hand as well. "Forget about it."

As our hands met, I was shocked. Literally. The electric current that ran through my body at his casual touch was truly unexpected. It thrilled me, his simple touch. Why?

I didn't have any time to think, because just as he released his hand, a small pixie-like girl danced her way over towards us. The way she moved in only walking seemed as beautiful and graceful as any ballet I'd seen. I found myself staring at her too, for she had the same breathtaking features as Edward. I could only assume that they were related.

"Edward, what's-oh!" she stopped speaking when she reached me. She was so tiny and petite, but looked strong at the same time, the pull of her muscles giving the illusion of motion even when she was still. I noticed that she had the same eyes as Edward, but her jaw line was more delicate looking. She was stunning.

"Alice, this is Bella. I ran into her a few seconds ago." Edward explained as he introduced me.

"Hello Bella, I'm Edward's sister, Alice." She introduced herself as she too held out her hand for me to shake.

"Bella Swan." I said meekly as I grasped her hand in return.

"You look…familiar. Do I know you?" she asked uncertainly.

"I don't think so… but I could be wrong." I answered hesitantly. I already liked her and didn't want to upset her.

"Hmm…" she hummed as she appeared to get lost in thought. A moment later, she brightened up and started to vibrate excitedly.

"Bella Swan? I think that I saw one of your pieces when I was touring the school last week. Wait! You're going to the school, aren't you?" she asked excitedly.

"Yeah. I'm going about a year early though. They said that I needed the school's foundation immediately, whatever that means. I just hope that it's good…" I trailed off as I realized they were both gaping openly at me.

"Early?" Edward asked, shock coloring his expression. I longed to grab my sketch book and draw him for hours, but fought with my urge to reach into my suitcase.

"Umm, yeah?" I said, it sounding like a question.

"They haven't let anyone in early in years." Alice said slowly, deep in thought about something.

"Um…I'm sorry?" I said, still unsure of exactly how to react.

"Sorry?" Edward asked incredulously. "Why would you be sorry?"

"Erm, I just figured that you'd be mad that I was getting special treatment or something…" I answered simply. In truth, I still figured that I was so hopelessly lost in my artwork that they figured I needed five years to work in a supportive environment.

"Bella, I don't know what kind of people you've met so far, but we're not mad. In fact, I think that I can speak for both Edward and myself when I say that hope to become good friends with you and see more of your work." Alice assured me enthusiastically.

"So you two are both in the school?" I asked, desperate to change the subject. I was slowly becoming redder and redder as we spoke longer about me.

"Yes. Alice and I are twins, and we both got accepted right out of high school. I play piano and compose, while Alice dances." Edward explained, though he stared at me. I figured that he was trying to decide what was so special about me. I blushed furiously, and was relieved when Alice nudged him.

"Edward! I told you! I don't 'dance', I perform. If we called it dancing, then I would have to be associated with those god-awful pop singers and their two step moves." Alice corrected him, scowling as she spoke. She turned to me, and her eyes took a far-off look. Her face looked so peaceful and serene, and I found myself wishing for my sketchbook, though a camera would do nicely.

"The way I see it," she explained. "Art speaks for you. It expresses your every wish, your every desire. It displays your feelings in a way we never could. Art isn't just a noun; it's an adjective, a verb. It's just so impossibly beautiful and perfect that I wish I could do it all day long. I live for art, and my art lives because of me."

"That's a beautiful way of thinking about it." I murmured, lost in my thought. I could paint a picture just off those words alone, the passion in her voice dictating the very make-up of the painting. I quickly put this moment in the banks of my memory before I lost the beauty.

"Yeah, yeah." She dismissed my praise with a wave of her hands.

"Bella? Did you want to ride with us instead of in that crowded bus?" Edward asked. I wondered why he was asking something so off-topic, but quickly realized that most everyone else had dissipated from the lobby and were drifting towards a large bus that was painted by a former student.

"That'd be great." I thanked him as I made my way over to the luggage cart to grab my suitcases. Edward grabbed one of my bags and set off in the other direction. I noticed a silver Volvo with the trunk popped open. It was full to the near brim of pink suitcases, with the occasional brown one thrown in. I could only assume that Alice had a passion for clothes as well, and giggled when I saw her leap on top of one to force it to fit.

Edward helped me to fit myself in the back around our suitcases, and he and Alice got into the front.

"Edward, you need bigger car." She told him as she flipped the radio on.

"Don't you mean, _Edward, you need a bigger trunk so that my excessive amount of clothing will fit_?" he teased, mimicking her voice almost perfectly. He would have been perfect, had it not been for the fact that his voice was an octave or two lower than hers.

The ride to the school was just like that, lighthearted teasing all the way down. Edward grumbled when we got stuck behind the bus, and had to keep the speed to 40 mph. We would occasionally ask each other questions about family, or how we got started creating. I soon discovered that Alice and Edward were adopted and started out with art when Edward wouldn't take ballet when he was five.

"My mother, Esme, decided that Alice and I should take dancing classes. She worried about us feeling bored or lonely since we lost our parents when we were 2, but didn't listen when we told us how fine we were. She signed Alice up for ballet when Alice found a tutu in her closet and wouldn't take it off. Esme figured that Alice and I would want to be kept together, and tried to sign me up too. After three days full of temper tantrums, I finally convinced her to let me skip. She did make me take something else, and piano was the only other thing I deemed fine for a boy to do." He told with a smile on his face as he reminisced on his younger years.

By the time we arrived, it was 6 o'clock, and officially, we were late for dinner. It didn't matter today, because we were all late, thanks to the bus. But, if we were late to dinner any other night, we wouldn't get anything. I made a mental note to leave some snacks in my room just in case.

We carted our stuff inside, and were given our dorm numbers and strict instructions to meet in the common hall at 7:15, sharp. Alice and I were delighted to learn we were rooming together for the next four years.

"Who are you rooming with?" Alice asked as she tried to peek over his shoulder. She had to get up on her tip-toes and still only made it to about his elbow.

"Jasper Whitlock. Wonder what he does?" he mused.

We soon parted ways and made our trek up to our third story room. It was the perfect size, built in such a way that there was an alcove on my side for me to set up my easel and tolls, and an identical one on Alice's side so she could warm-up in the morning. I set my stuff down and plopped myself on the bed. 

The house was beautiful. It was formerly a plantation, and looked as if it hadn't changed in years. There were big windows on our alcove that if opened, you could climb out and sit on the roof by the climbing ivy and roses. It felt so beautiful and homey. I never wanted to leave. Unfortunately, it was nearly seven, and I didn't want to be late. I dragged Alice away from her clothes and we hiked over to the newest barn, which was still about 250 years old. It had been renovated to become the common hall, but most everyone called it the dining hall. There were about thirty buildings like these that were spread across the land, and would serve as our classrooms.

We plopped down at a table in the middle of the front next to Edward and a blonde guy. As I looked around, I only saw about 100 students, including the four of us. I had known that they were exclusive, but not this exclusive.

"Hey Edward. Who's this?" Alice asked as she set herself down next to me.

"This is Jasper, my roommate. He's into the cello." Edward introduced the newcomer.

"I'm not into the cello, I'm in love with the way you can make people feel things with it. It shows everyone your emotions and tweak others. It's not just a hunk of wood." Jasper defended his cello enthusiastically. Just the excitement building up in his blue eyes made me want to dash upstairs and grab something to record it. He was just as beautiful as Edward and Alice, though he had a set of scars over his eyebrow that, from a distance, looked like bite marks. The definition on them would be interesting to play around with, and_… stop Bella. You've got to stop thinking of drawing for five minutes. TRY and seem normal for a bit._ I mentally scolded myself for zoning out and brought my attention back to the table.

"Hi, I'm Edward's sister, Alice, and this is my roommate, Bella." She introduced us kindly. I thought I saw her staring at him a bit longer than she should have, but it could have been my imagination.

"Hey," he said as he smiled at each of us in response. "My sister should be coming to sit with us. Her name's Rosalie, and to save yourself ten minutes of your life, she's an actress. Last time someone asked, she gave a five minute explanation on why the term actress is demeaning to the art form and then spent ten reciting a chunk of Romeo and Juliet. She's kind of nuts."

Just as he finished, a painfully gorgeous blonde girl came over and sat down next to us. She ushered a tall, muscular boy to sit next to her.

"Hey everyone. I heard Jasper's little speech and decided to come over here and assure you that I'm not crazy." The girl said. I assumed that she was Jasper's sister, but was confused when I saw no further resemblance than the blonde hair. Not to say that Rosalie was any less beautiful than the rest of the group, because if anything, she was more amazing. Her body seemed to have a purpose at all times, leading your eyes one way as she spoke, making you feel something else as she stopped. I had to remind myself to be normal and not sketch. I trained myself to look at her dark blue eyes passively, but almost audibly gasped when I closely looked at them. They were so deep and mysterious. Not murky, but an ever-changing swirl of browns, blues, and greens. I had to clench my hands together to stop my fingers from twitching. I saw Edward chuckle at this out of the corner of my eye, and I glared at him.

The boy sitting next to her had enough beauty to fit in with the gang. It made me sad to realize that I was too plain to ever fit in with my new friends. I quickly forgot as I scanned over the boys figure, ending on his brown eyes. His body had an interesting build, somehow managing to look burly and lean at the same time. I wanted to groan; these people were practically giving me seizures. I was such a dork; I couldn't even stop drawing long enough to have a normal conversation.

"Hi, I'm Rosalie Hale. Jasper's dad married my mom when we were twelve. This is Emmett McCarty, my boyfriend. He works with wood and clay to sculpt, though he helps to build for the set design too." She said, gesturing towards Emmett with one of her manicured hands.

We would have talked further, but the sound of a microphone turning on brought our attention to the front of the room. A mysterious looking man stood at the center of the room, scanning the room to see who he needed to shush. When his eyes passed over us, I noticed what an interesting green they were. They were deep and twinkling, and so muddy that from a distance they appeared brown.

"Welcome everyone, to the Academy of Recognition of Talent. Or, as most everyone calls it, A.R.T." he announced with a grin.

"My name is Dean Taylor, and you can call me Dean. Or Taylor. Or Sir. Or Hey You with the Face. I don't really care what you call me, as long as we keep it in mind that I am here to help guide you in becoming the DaVinci's of today. I would really love not having to punish or scold you, because I'm way too young 

to feel like my father. Now as long as you respect the building and our beliefs, we should be fine. The only thing that isn't flexible about this school is the eating times. Nine sharp for breakfast, twelve-fifteen for lunch, and six sharp for dinner. Everything else can be worked out to help you create the best." He explained, laughing along with the rest of us at his humor.

"The only other thing I had to say tonight before everyone got settled in was this. Each and every one of you was chosen to come here. That in no way means that you are the only best in this school. We chose you because we felt that you had a huge amount of talent and because we thought that you could go farther if you learned under us. The definition of art is a creation of beautiful things. Keep that in mind, and you will get a good use out of this education." He finished, sarcastically taking a big bow as all of the returning members called out '_get a new speech, DT!_' or '_geez, getting old, aren't you?'_. The rest of us simply clapped, still soaking in his words.

"Oh, and Isabella Swan? I'd like to talk to you for a minute." Dean Taylor requested as he searched for my face in the crowd.

**This was the best stopping point I found for this story. I have to admit that I'm not even sure if this is worth reading. I came up with the idea in the middle of a craft store and it wouldn't get out of my mind, so I had to type it. I'm trying to make it sound artsy and beautiful, but let me know if you have any suggestions to keep it on that path. It seems that if I were to continue this story, the posts would be big chunks, like this 9 page word document with around 3400 words. Seriously though, let me know if I should continue. Oh, and I do accept anonymous reviews, so there is no reason not to voice you opinion. A bien tot! **


	2. Possibilities

**To two of my reviewers: one of you had mentioned that you wished that Bella was a singer, while another mentioned the fact that they liked the fact that Bella didn't sing. There are two reasons for that. The first being that I was waltzing through a craft store, minding my own business, when I picked up a sketch book. There was a product with the name Edward in it next to the book, and I immediately thought of this idea: What if Bella was an artist who started sketching a beautiful man who happened to be Edward Cullen? The second reason was this; I want to try and stick with Stephenie Meyer's original character's as much as possible. She built them well, and I feel a connection with all of them. To pay homage to her, I will keep Bella as similar to her character in the series as possible. Bella wouldn't sing. She wouldn't be able to hide, which would be hard for her, and all of the attention would be focused on her. However, Bella can express herself with drawing and still hide behind the painting. If you're admiring or simply viewing a painting, you don't have to ever look at the artist. Thus, Bella is an artist (drawer/painter) and not a singer. SO, that's the end of this 200 word Authors Note. Here's the story!**

I felt myself blushing as Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett all looked at me. I rose from the table, and attempted to walk across the small open space in the center of the circle of tables, but tripped on my way up. Thankfully, I stumbled but did not fall.

"Um, Dean Taylor?" I asked hesitantly when I reached the center. He turned to look at me curiously.

"Are you Isabella Swan?" He asked as he appraised me.

"Well, I prefer Bella…" I affirmed.

"Marvelous!" he exclaimed as he led me off to the side of the room. I was fervently thankful for that; I hated being the center of attention.

"Now Bella, I assume you got our letter explain our immediate need for you to attend?"He asked excitedly, almost as if he couldn't wait to tell me something. I nodded, and he eagerly continued.

"Bella, you're one of the most promising cases we've ever seen at this school. So promising, in fact, that we wanted to enter you in our 10 year celebration ceremony this year. If you'd accept, we'd need you to submit a piece of your art to be displayed with the seniors work at our gala ball. Would you? I've seen 

your work, and I'm astounded." He blurted out, reminding me of Alice when she learned that I was going to A.R.T. as well.

It took me a second to digest this news. They wanted me early… because I was…good? I couldn't process this in my brain. I had expected to be placed at the bottom instantly, not at the top. As soon as it sunk in, something became apparent.

"I wouldn't have any special treatment, would I?" I asked skeptically. I was still waiting for the punch line to this joke.

"Other than attending the ball and getting a picture taken to place next to your art, nope. I could even pretend that I don't know you." He chuckled. I already liked this guy.

"I guess I'm in." I gave my content with a small smile. Dean Taylor's infectious grin caught up with me, and I began to feel good about this.

"Well then, Bella, I guess that I'll just find you with all the nitty-gritty details later. Get started as soon as possible, so that it's exactly what you want. Good luck!" He suggested with a twinkle in his eyes as he walked away. I stumbled back to find the others, lost in thought.

"Bella! What did he say?" Alice questioned eagerly as she all but pounced on me when I got within speaking distance.

"He said that they want my piece for the gala ball." I murmured, still in a daze.

"Holy crap! DT wants your stuff for the final gala? Seriously?" Emmett yelled as he realized what I said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't ask to be let in a year early or anything…" I mumbled, but stopped when I looked up and saw five incredulous faces staring back at me. "What?"

"Bella, what Emmett was trying to say was that you must be pretty amazing to get into the gala AND get in a year early. We're excited for you, not angry at you." Rosalie explained, the look of shock still clear on her face.

"Geez Bella, stop apologizing. We aren't going to shun you!" Alice admonished teasingly.

Ten minutes later, plans had been made to meet up at the same spot for breakfast. Alice and I trudged all the way back to our room and collapsed on our beds.

"Hey Bella?" Alice asked dreamily as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Yeah Alice?" I replied in the same tone, thinking about all the progression I could make to the eyes now. Edward's eyes. The relief I felt at being able to name them and stare at them in person was amazing, like a set of bricks being lifted off of my chest. It was a new kind of high, and I adored it.

"I've never had a sister before. This is nice." She said.

"It is nice, isn't it?" I replied as I slipped to sleep. That night I dreamed of topaz eyes, thick stacks of paper, and ball gowns.

I woke up to someone pouncing on my bed ferociously. Blearily, I opened my eyes to find Alice bouncing at the foot of my bed.

"C'mon Bella, first day of school!" she squealed excitedly. Oh great. She was a morning person.

"Five more minutes Mom," I mumbled as I rolled over and threw the pillow over my head.

"No Bella. Now."Alice ordered as she stole my comforter and pillow away. Darn pixie.

I muttered angrily under my breath as I got out of bed and stumbled over to the closet. I opened it to find only the clothes that were in the box labeled Inspiration.

"ALICE! What did you do to my clothes?" I asked angrily as I searched for them.

"Bella, I wouldn't have even let you keep these ones if I didn't think that they were necessary for your art." She replied as she waltzed into the bathroom. "I'm going to go shopping Saturday to get you new clothes, my treat. This time, you won't have to come, but this is the only time you can escape. Got that?"

"Whatever." I yawned as I threw on a pair of paint splattered jeans and a t-shirt. I had never really cared too much about what I wore, as long as it didn't attract too much attention and was comfortable.

I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair, and found Alice using some kind of torture device on her eyelashes.

"Alice? Why are you torturing your eyelashes?" I asked as I grabbed my toothbrush.

"Funny Bella, real funny. I'm curling them." She replied, speaking as if I was a simpleton. I ignored her and continued brushing my teeth, spitting in the sink just as she reached for a tube of mascara.

"Bella?" Alice asked pitifully. She reminded me of a small child who was told that her puppy just died.

"Hmm?" I asked, concentrating on eliminating one particularly stubborn tangle in my hair.

"Can I please, please, please put some make-up on you? Please?" She pled, pouting slightly with her hands clasped in front of her. Ugh. I hated being made-over.

I forced back an involuntary shudder. "Maybe tomorrow Alice, we kind of need to be there soon."

"Fine, but tomorrow, you're mine." She said as she stalked out. I bit my lip anxiously, fearing whatever Alice was planning the next day.

We walked into the common hall at ten till, ensuring that we would get to eat. Alice was urging me to walk faster, but I was too tired to comply. I stopped completely for a moment to yawn, and when I started walking again, I bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm sor-" I apologized, blushing as whoever it was turned around. I stopped speaking when I was met with a pair of glorious topaz eyes.

"This time it's my turn to apologize." I finished with a smile on my face.

"Morning Bella. This going to be part of the new routine?" he greeted me, smiling gently.

"Why not? It's your turn next." I teased as we sat down. Rosalie and Emmett walked in next and plopped themselves down at the table. They were arguing about going to some play on Sunday. Emmett didn't want to go because it had no set potential, but Rosalie adored the plot. It had gotten incredibly heated by this point, so when Jasper strolled up to the table, Alice was the only one to notice.

"Love is a battlefield…" Jasper muttered as he sat down. "Lemme guess, Emmett won't go to another play?"

"Yup." Of course Alice was the first to answer. I could tell that she liked him, they way she was constantly staring. Not that I was much better, but at least mine was for a reason.

"FINE! We'll go to you're suckish play to see the crappy set. Are you happy now?" Emmett's voice boomed.

"Very," Rose simply said, and kissed him on the cheek. Despite his valiant attempts, I still managed to see the corner of his lips turn up a bit. If I hadn't seen the fight, I might say that this was just a good morning.

We picked at our breakfasts, eager for the schedule mock-ups we would soon get. I could see Rosalie giggle at something Emmett whispered in her ear, and Alice was too busy ogling at Jasper to talk to me.

"So, are there any classes you have to have?" I asked Edward curiously. He seemed immensely relieved to have a distraction from the display from Rose an Emmett.

"Not really. Just so long as I can get a good block in Vivaldi." He told me, leaning in so we wouldn't have to shout. There were only a hundred or so students, but it was filled with singers warming up and people talking over them. I could close my eyes and envision a beautiful painting from only the noise. The blues would swirl gently with the grey right there, and the_ NO BELLA! THINK NORMAL! _I scolded myself again.

"What's Vivaldi? I mean besides the composer." I asked curiously as I forced my hand to relax on my spoon.

"Well, rather than having names like Barn 3B, or Building 69A, some students last year named each of the buildings. One of them took the time to paint the names on all thirty-six of the buildings instead of working on their final project. Vivaldi is the biggest practice room you can get for musicians and artists. They usually throw in a musician and artist to feed off of each others creativity." He explained. Though the topic was boring, I found myself listening intently. I was caught off guard when I heard the clicking of a microphone being turned on again.

"I'm going to set all the schedules on the scoop table by the door. You are all adults and can find your schedule yourself. Any revisions that need to be made can be corrected immediately in Dean Taylor's office." A bored looking woman droned.

The whole room buzzed with excitement, and I hoped more than anything that I could have a block of work time soon. I didn't know what I would do if I couldn't let out my new idea's soon.

"Good luck! Meet back at the table when you've got it." Alice whispered as she stepped up to gather her schedule. I heard her excited squeal and assumed that it was good news. I walked up to the table and found my name directly on the top. Too nervous to look, I decided to wait until I reached the table.

I set my schedule face down on the table and waited for Jasper and Edward to arrive so we could compare. Rosalie was talking with Alice about wanting to go shopping, and they would glance over every once in a while. I was already scared.

"Well, are we ready to compare?" Edward asked as he threw his schedule down. Jasper sat down next to him, examining his schedule fervently.

"On three; one…two…three!" Emmett directed excitedly as he grabbed Rosalie's schedule to compare. He whooped when he discovered that he and Rose shared an art history class. Alice snatched mine right as I was turning it over.

"Hey! I haven't even looked at it yet!" I protested. Alice ignored me, but she quickly glanced at it and returned it to my waiting hands.

"We'll have classes in the same area on Tuesday afternoon, but none together." She sadly informed me as she stole Jaspers schedule.

I grinned widely when I saw the sheet of paper.

_Mornings: Vivaldi, div.2 until lunch_

_Tuesday afternoons: Fundamental Tune-ups_

_Wednesday afternoons: Capturing Movement_

_Thursday and Friday afternoons: Discussion and Progress meetings until 3:30, Vivaldi until 6_

_Evenings: Supplemental Courses are available in this space if desired_

"I got Vivaldi until lunch!" I squealed excitedly. Edward looked up and grinned in response.

"So we'll be feeding off each other. I have Vivaldi too." He told me.

When I learned that Jasper and I would be in the same progress group, I was curious as to why a musician would be in the same group as a painter, but the excitement I held for drawing overshadowed any other emotion. It's like I was on a hunt, and the only thing I could see was the deer standing in the open clearing.

"Come on, Edward!" I impatiently requested, tugging on his shirt.

"Geez Bella, we have two and a half hours left. That's plenty of time." He assured me. I ignored him and simply pulled him through the crowd towards my room. I told him to wait outside the door, and ran inside to grab my stuff. I was almost all the way out of the door when I tripped over a pen I didn't see. I felt a set of cool, strong arms encircle themselves around my waist.

"Gotcha. Told you you should have slowed down." He smugly informed me.

"And I told you that I was clumsy and in a rush." I countered as I dragged him onward.

As we got to door, I slowed down, dragging my hand over the top of the bushes, letting my fingers graze the soft petals of the flowers. I let myself grow accustomed to the largish white barn, growing more anxious to get inside when I saw a wall of windows filling the whole right side.

"Are you ready?" Edward whispered in my ear. I shivered from the sensation of his cool breath tickling my ear. I could only nod, and he opened the door. My jaw dropped when I looked inside and saw a paradise.

I could tell where the lines of the musician and artist were clearly drawn. Paint was splattered all over the floor up until the middle of the window. The room was about the size of a classroom and a half, with 

tall ceilings ad plenty of windows. I was in awe. I set my stuff down on a table I found on 'my side' and soaked in the moment.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he commented softly. Edward was lost in his own little world, brushing over the piano keys gently.

"Hmm?" I asked. I was still distracted, imagining all the things I could create.

"All the possibilities." He whispered.


	3. Arguments

**To answer some questions I had gotten. Vivaldi is like a practice room, not a class. It's the student's time to create. Some will have it in the morning, some in the afternoon. Edward and Bella are together because it's a small renovated barn. It's the biggest of the practice rooms allotted for the musicians and artists, who don't get as much room as dancers. OH! And this will be mostly Edward and Bella, but there are some sprinklings of the other two canon couples as well. Now, on with the story!**

Edward and I got settled in, and five minutes later, I was holding my charcoal over the sketch pad, ready to record everything I had seen and felt in these past two days. I sketched for a good ten minutes, only half listening to Edward's warm-up scales. I sketched everything, from the pandemonium this morning to Alice's beautiful movements to Emmett's care-free grin. I was just about to get started on Edward's eyes, when I stopped. I was worried. What if I still couldn't draw those eyes? They were so mesmerizing and beautiful, almost hypnotic when they softened to molten gold. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't draw them. Right as I was about to throw in the towel and move on, Edward started playing.

I felt as if he could tell that I needed reassurance and encouragement, and played it. His notes were so confident and plucky, almost as if they were trying to tell me something. They gave me that surge of energy and pure exilhiration that I needed. With my newfound determination, I put the charcoal to the paper and let the eyes shape themselves.

I was finishing up my rough sketch of the way Edward looked at me in the airport and preparing to move on to the severe look he had before he realized what he had bumped into when I realized that Edward had stopped playing. Dismissing it, I continued on. My blackened hands reached out for a smudge eraser and were surprised to hit something soft and smooth instead. I was too concentrated on smudging one side of the eye with my other hand, so I blindly searched for the tool I was looking for. My hand slid down whatever the soft thing was towards what I thought was a new charcoal pencil. Intending to switch my old pencil to the new, I grabbed it. I jumped nearly five feet in the air when I picked up a long, pale finger instead.

"Oh my god, Edward! You scared the heck out of me!" I gasped, one hand clasped firmly over my heart.

He ignored me, staring at the figure. "That's me."

"Oh, well….erm….uh….yeah." I admitted, flushing in response. I had no idea why I was so nervous to admit that I was drawing him. I seriously doubt that I would have been as nevous if Alice was asking. Maybe I was afraid that he would hate it and want me to stop. And more then anything, I wanted to continue.

He said nothing as his finger gently stroked the paper. "That's…amazing."

"Umm….thanks." I stuttered, blushing fiercly and looking down at my feet. Actually, it wasn't even my feet I was looking at. Just anything but him. I was too afraid that I was going to say something cheesy and awfully embarassing, like _I'm glad my inspiration was just as beautiful._

"I'm sorry!" he suddenly blurted out, as if he just realized something. "I must be interrupting you! It's just that I was going to get my music and I-"

"No, you're fine. I was almost done, anyway." I said as I chanced a glance up at him. He was staring at me, so i flushed and looked down again. _Get a grip, Bella! Why are you this nervous? You've never been __**this**__ bad before!_ I told myself. In truth, I had no idea why I acted that way.

"Hey gu- oh!" I heard someone gasp.

"Alice." Edward muttered angrily. I turned a beet red as I realized as how cozy we must've looked to an outsider. Edward was so close that his side would brush mine every so often, and his hand was nearly on top of the one I had reasting on the easel. Plus, my picture was of Edward. And it didn't help that Alice tends to over-react just a titch.

"Hey Alice." I said queasily as I turned around. I grimaced as I pictured what was soon to come.

"I was just stopping by on my way to my next class, but I can see you two are busy. Wait here and we'll walk to lunch together." She said as she waggled her eyebrows suggestively and danced out of the room. By this time, Edward was halfway to the door.

"Sorry about Alice." He apologized as he shut the door. "She tends to exaggerate."

"At least you don't have to share a room with her." I muttered as I turned around and started sketching.

By the time lunch came around, I had almost completely forgotten about the whole awkward incident with Alice. That is, until I grabbed my stuff, turned around, and ran into a very hard wall.

"Oof!" he gasped quietly in pain. I would have said something, but when I ran into him, I fell onto my butt on the floor. He genty rubbed his chest and looked down to see where I was. I jumped when I heard his booming laugh.

"Ha ha ha, I'm just so hilarious." I said sarcastically as he all but fell on the ground laughing. "Can I get a hand?"

"Sure." He managed to choke out. Just as I grasped his hand, the door swung open.

"Well, well, well. I came running cause I thought I heard something dying, but it turns out its just the two lovers at it again." Alice smugly said as she took in my beet-red face and our entertwined hands.

" I fell, Edward laughed-"

"That was Edward laughing? I thought it was some poor grizzly bear that needed to be put out of it's misery." Alice teased as she flitted over to grab my other hand. As they helped me up, I couldn't help but to notice the silent conversation they were having. Edward was frowning and Alice was grinning right back at him.

" As I was saying," I said when my feet were firmly planted on the ground again. "Alice, you're out of your mind."

"If she even had one to begin with." Edward muttered as we strolled out of the door.

" I just calls um like I sees um. By the well Bella," Alice said with a devious look on her face. "We need to talk later about the birds and the bee's, so that I can feel safe leaving you and my brother alone again tommorow."

I flushed, but quickly devised a plan. "Fine, as long I can have the same talk with you about Jasper."

For the first time since I'd met her, Alice was silent. Her whole face turned a light pink, which was surprising because she never blushed. Edward snickered silently as we trudged on. When we reached the common hall, she spun around and jabbed a finger at me and Edward.

" If either one of you mentions this, I will personally spread the word that you spent all of your time this morning making out. Deal?" She hissed angrily as her eyes flashed.

We both paled considerably and nodded. Satisfied, she pranced on through the door.

"Is your sister always this scary?" I stage-whispered as we shuffled over to the table. I was only half joking though. I was scared stiff of that little pixie.

"Nope. She's usually worse." He whispered back with humor evident in his voice. We both burst out laughing as we realized that he was probably right and threw oursleves down at the table. Rosalie and Emmett looked up at us like we were crazy, and Jasper and Alice nodded knowingly.

"See, I told you they were flirting earlier in Vivaldi." Alice whispered to Jasper who nodded his head in agreement.

"Alice, I do believe that we had an agreement. Unless…" Edward trailed off as he gave Alice a look.

"You wouldn't." she whispered angrily with a scared look in her wide eyes.

"Bella, don't you think that you need to be having that talk with Alice later?" Edward asked me loudly as Alice slunk down in her seat.

"Yeah. Who knows what her and Jasper would do if I didn't." I agreed with a solemn look on my face. That did it. Alice shot up and glared at us, who were snickering. She didn't even notice how happy Jasper looked, despite his embarassment. If I guessed right and Alice really did have a thing for Jasper, I'd say that he had a thing for her too. Alice stood up to her full height, which still wasn't very tall, and got a hurt look on her face.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WERE MAKING OUT WITH MY BROTHER, BELLA?" she yelled for the whole lunchroom to hear. I turned tomato red and slouched down in my chair. Edward took a different approach. He stood up and got an equally hurt look.

"WHAT DO **YOU** MEAN YOU WERE MAKING OUT WITH MY ROOMMATE ,ALICE?" he yelled just as loud. Alice got a determined look in her eye, and Edward just stared her down. I was blushing furiously as everyone gawked at our table. Jasper was still pink in the face and stared down at the table, but would chance a glance at Alice every few seconds. I could tell that they shared a family gene for stubborness, and I soon grew fearful at how big this could escalate.

"Edward and Alice, sit your asses down before Dean comes over here and kicks us all out." Rosalie hissed angrily at the both of them. They realized that there could be no end to this yet, and sat down without breaking the glare they had with each other.

"We'll finish this later." Edward practically growled at her.

"My room. Eight'o'clock. Bring Jasper." Alice hissed back, never breaking eye contact.

"Bella stays too." He growled.

"Fine."

"**Fine**."

"So, hows the sello Jasper?" Emmett said brightly, trying to break the tension. Luckily, we all smiled.

"It's a cello, dipstick." Jasper informed him as he rolled his eyes.

After all our classes (which were interesting, but nothing compared to the fight at lunch), Alice and I walked back to our room from dinner.

"So I hear that you got quite the glare from that Lauren girl today, huh?" Alice asked.

"Jasper tell you?" I sighed as I trudged on.

"Only that she glared the whole time. What happened?"

"Well, she heard the whole…debacle… at lunch and got quite mad." I said, smiling a little at the memory. Despite the fact that I was publicly embarrased, the argument was pretty funny. "Apparently she has a thing for Edward. Every time I looked over at her, she glared at me. I guess she believed you."

"That's hilarious!" Alice laughed delightedly.

We spent the rest of the night in our dorm laughing as we unpacked. We had just finished when we heard a knock at the door.

"Guess it's eight." She commented as she skipped to the doorway. She said hi to Jasper and let him in, shutting the door on Edward as she walked Jasper into the room. Edward shoved the door open and walked in with an angry look on his face.

"Guys, lets just keep this CALM." Jasper stressed the word calm as he came to stand in the small circle we were forming. I giggled when I realized that we had paired off and were standing on opposite sides of the room.

"I'm going to be the referee for this little argument." I said as I plopped myself down on my bed.

"Not fair." Alice and Edward said in unison.

"Bella, you have to be on Edward's team. It wouldn't be a fair beating if he didn't have you." Alice told me, a frustrated look taking over her features.

"Besides, she embarrased you too!" Edward chipped in.

With a groan, I slid off of my bed and stood next to Edward.

"The usual?" Edward asked calmly once I was at his side.

"You bet. We start Sunday." She said smugly.

I threw a desperate look to Jasper. Apparently, he had no idea what they were talking about either.

What had we gotten ourselves into?


	4. Laughing

**Just to clear up confusion… Monday's, Bella has a break after lunch. It was like a Wednesday or Thursday, so she had…whatever class she had. It's not really important to the plot right now, so I don't really know much of her schedule, despite the fact that I wrote it. I'd also like to thank a lovely reviewer who has written me a full paragraph in every review. I'm touched that you would spend that much time on me. I don't really ever write too much on reviews myself, so it means a lot when someone else does that kind of thing for me. **

"Edward? What's the usual?" I asked nervously the next morning on our way to Vivaldi. Edward and Jasper had left after we all shook hands on the deal. Jasper and I kept looking at each other, praying that one of us knew what was going on, but we were both just as clueless and scared. Actually, make that terrified.

He sighed. "It's how Alice and I settle our arguments. It's like…a battle of the arts. Whoever can create the best…whatever it is, song, dance, etc…wins."

I stopped suddenly. "What do they win?" Knowing Alice, it couldn't be good.

"No need to be melodramatic, Bella." He insisted as he pulled me forward. I couldn't help but notice that an electric current seemed to pass through my body at his touch. This wasn't the first time it'd happened, either. Maybe I needed to see a doctor. I had told Alice, but then she went all goo-goo eyed thinking about Jasper. Five minutes later, she attacked me with squeals of _you like my brother!!_

"Trust me. If you and Alice are involved, I'm simply playing it safe." I assured him. He glanced down at me with a twinkle in his eye.

"So you think I'm dangerous?" he asked mischievously.

"Very." I affirmed sarcastically as I marched ahead of him. Next thing I knew, I was thrown over his shoulder.

"HEY! Put me down!! Ed-ward!! Leggo!" I yelled as I hit him repeatedly in the back. After a minute, I decided that it wasn't doing anything wasn't my energy trying to hurt him. That and my arm hurt.

"Am I still scary?" He inquired gleefully.

"Yep." I sighed exasperatedly.

"Good, cause we're here." And with that, he set me down at the door. I couldn't help but over hear one girl's conversation with her friend.

"They're actually together? He's too…beautiful for her. Oh well. A girl can dream. I mean, it's **Edward Cullen**. Mrs. Samantha Cullen. I like the sound of that…" and with a giggle, they were out of earshot.

Dumb-founded, I looked up at Edward, who was snickering.

"So when did we become a thing?" I demanded as he opened the door.

"I think when we 'made-out' yesterday." Edward said as he looked at me. That darn twinkle in his eye was making me happy, and I wasn't sure if I liked how desperately I wanted to see more of it, especially because I was too plain for him.

"Besides, I hear that we're a beautiful couple." He teased as we made our way into the room.

I rolled my eyes as I made my way to my area and pulled out a bucket of cleaning supplies.

"What're you doing?" he asked curiously as he eyed my bucket that I was filling with water.

"Cleaning. These floors are disgusting and no light gets through these windows." I explained with a grim smile on my face as I gestured to the grimy windows and said dust bunny-covered floors.

"Let me help." He insisted as he rolled up his sleeves and stole a towel.

"I've got it. Don't you need to compose?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows as I tried to picture Edward cleaning. I giggled a bit as I pictured him and Alice throwing cleaning supplies at each other. Nope, those two could never get much done around each other.

"Trying to get rid of your boyfriend?" Edward teased with a glint in his beautiful topaz eyes as he grabbed some window cleaning fluid and poured it into the bucket I was holding. "Besides, we need to strategize and plan. With Alice, it's better to be prepared."

For the next hour, we scrubbed the panel of windows until they were gleaming. In between getting to know each other better, I got to gawk at Edward through the reflection in the windows. His eyes were still two mysterious pools of golden topaz, and his crooked grin would pop up on his face often. He was tall and muscular, but looked lean. In fact, you could go so far as to say that he and Emmett were opposite. Edward's beauty was more obvious, while his muscles were hidden. Emmett flaunted his muscles, while you had to be looking to see the true beauty and not the plain handsome look most guys had.

One of the times, Edward looked down just in time to see me quickly dart my eyes away from him. I blushed profusely and looked down, but out of the corner of my eye, I swore I saw him grin.

When we had finished, I grabbed the bucket and dumped out the cleaning liquid in there. I filled it to the brim with soapy water and carried it back to Edward, taking great care to prevent the water from sloshing over the sides.

"So, do you have any plans for the bet?" he asked as we grabbed sponges and started cleaning.

"Um, other than the fact that it's a lot harder to work an artist and a pianist into a common project than a cellist and a dancer?" I answered uncertainly, not sure of the answer he was looking for. He chuckled and nodded.

"Yes, other than the fact that Alice and Jasper are more artistically compatible." He said, eyes anticipating a response as he kept scrubbing the same spot on the floor.

"Hmm…" I hummed as I concentrated on the floor. Knowing me, if I looked at Edward, I soon go nuts and either start frantically drawing him or get that crazy electric feeling that made me want to touch him. "I got nothing. What about you?"

"Nothing." He sighed tiredly. I looked up and regretted it immediately, for he had a lock of hair hanging over one of his perfect, beautiful eyes. I had to look down at the floor quickly before I pushed it out of his face for him.

"Out of morbid curiosity, what does the winner get?" I asked hesitantly, not quite sure if I wanted to know. After all, Alice was involved. The fact that Edward had avoided the question earlier simply fueled my desire to know the horrifying truth.

"More like what does the loser have to do." Edward answered with a tone of defeat.

"Oh god, what do we have to do?" I asked worriedly.

"Trust me, its better if you don't know." Edward said darkly. I would have been terrified, but I saw that twinkle in his eyes and watched them turn molten and knew it couldn't be that bad. Edward would have to do whatever it was too, so I wouldn't be completely miserable.

Just as we were finishing up, I was thinking to myself about how lucky I was that I didn't spill anything today. With me being the klutz that I am, I usually go through at least two extra buckets of water due to spillage every time I mop. Apparently I thought too soon.

I got up to empty out the last bucket, which was only soap bubbles, a very wet and grimy sponge, and about an inch of sudsy water when I slipped on a tiny puddle of water. The next thing I knew, I was sitting on top of Edward, who had the sponge soaking through his shirt, and the bucket was on my head.

"SORRY!" I cried as soon as I realized what happened. Edward said nothing, only holding onto my waist as I tried to get up. I was blushing before because I was embarrassed, but the casual way he held onto me made me blush harder. Edward sat there for a second and then started shaking. I was concerned for a moment, but I realized it was laughter. I giggled quietly, but soon you couldn't hear me over Edward's chuckles.

A moment later, I was squealing as Edward threw his sponge at me. What had started out as an innocent accident turned into an all-out war. By the time it was over, Edward and I had collapsed into a heap on the floor, laughing so hard there were tears streaming down our face. Not like we could really tell, though, because we were soaked all the way through.

"E-eed-ward," I gasped in between giggles. "We…need to change…before…l-uun-ncchhh!"

"O-ok!" he choked out, equally as incapacitated as I was.

He got up and offered me his hand. I took it and hoisted myself carefully up. After all, we would never make it to lunch on time if the same thing happened again. On our way out, we picked up the bucket, sponges, and cleaning supplies. Despite the occasional wet patch, the room looked better than it did before.

"Good job, Cullen." I said in a deep voice. I stuck out my hand, and he shook it solemnly. I didn't make it through, though, and busted a gut halfway through the handshake.

We met up in front of the hall fifteen minutes later, wearing dry clothes.

"So, how old are you?" I asked curiously. It was one of the few things we hadn't discussed over the past meals. We did talk about how he didn't like Wuthering Heights and I did, and how he loved to hunt and I didn't.

"Seventeen." He answered hesitantly.

"Seventeen? How long have you been seventeen?!" I squawked anxiously. He was seventeen! I was seventeen, and I was supposed to be the only one who was a year younger.

"A while." He admitted with a wry smile on his face.

"What do you mean, a while?"

"I mean," he explained carefully, stopping for a moment to re-direct me from the puddle I was about to step in. "That while Alice and I both graduated and got accepted immediately, we're still as young as you. Esme, our mother, home-schooled us when we were younger, and one summer she taught all the way through. Even though it was only first grade, people think of us as weird because of skipping. Usually, we don't tell people unless we're asked."

"Oh." I said, surprised. I had known that Edward was smart. That much was obvious, in the serious look he got whenever he started talking about school. His eyes would lose that wide, carefree look and become tighter. Not angry, but reigned in. His forehead would wrinkle slightly, and he would run a hand through his hair, which always made the same lock fall in his face. It killed me, because while the artist in me wanted to sketch that beauty of his, another part was urging me forward to gently push that lock out of his face, smooth out that wrinkle in his forehead. And I knew that it was wrong, but I couldn't stop it.

Our conversation would have continued further, but we had entered the hall and reached the table without my notice. I guess I never noticed that we were the last ones in if it hadn't been for Alice.

"New sets of clothes, I see?" Alice asked with a sly grin on her face.

"Tsk, tsk, Bella. An older man? Scandalous!" Rosalie teased, a huge smile taking over her features. Of course, she didn't know about Edward and Alice's real age. I could have told her, but an irrational piece of me liked the fact that I knew one of Edward Cullen's secrets. So rather than correct her, I blushed furiously.

"Shut up. I fell and made a mess." I muttered as I took a bite of my pizza.

"And Edward helped?"Alice supplied, giggling ferociously.

"How can you eat that stuff?" Emmett asked incredulously, interrupting Rosalie who I'm sure would have tried to make an even bigger fool of me.

"What, pizza?" I asked as I took another small bite. He nodded in response and said nothing more. I could only assume that he was waiting for an answer.

"I like pizza. Doesn't everyone?" was my simple answer. Truth was, I really didn't care what I ate. I just figured that an answer like that would lead to less ridiculous bickering, which was definitely a daily occurrence.

He shook his head, wrinkling his face in disgust. I shrugged it off and continued to eat it, reaching for an apple when I was done. I was almost finished with the apple when I looked up at Edward, who was scrawling something furiously into a music notebook. I figured that it was a composition, and pondered what could have inspired him when I suddenly got an idea.

"Edward!" I exclaimed excitedly. "I know what our project will be!"

**Sorry, my dears, to leave you at another mini cliffhanger. I really don't mean to be so mean, but sometimes they are the best stopping points. Oh, and to all of you who might read one of my other stories, Sickie, I'd just like to tell you to expect an update in the next couple of days, probably tomorrow. I'll explain more there, but I've had writers block with that story. Anywho, review please!! **

**Didja like it, hate it, was there some other Twilight scene that you liked but haven't seen yet, etc. Let me know so I can fix it!**


	5. Progression

**I am SO incredibly sorry that this took as long as it did, but life got a whole heck of a lot crazier in a short amount of time. But, as promised to my faithful reviewers, I will add two Twilight/ BD Quotes into this chapter. Figure out which ones are which and you get…you get…erm… I don't know. You get the smartest reviewer reward or something. And since I don't think that I've ever put in a disclaimer…**

**DISCLAIMER: I own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I'm also a French speaking unicorn named Jose and I know the meaning of life. Also, you must be an idiot if you really believe all of this stuff.**

Everyone was looking up at me. Jasper looked envious, like he wished that he and Alice had an idea. Rosalie and Emmett looked confused. Apparently, no one had mentioned our little bet to solve the previous disagreement. Alice looked defeated, like she had already lost the game now that we had a possibility. Edward looked curious, his gorgeous eyes boring into mine to try and cipher out what I was going to say.

"Maybe," Edward suggested in a low, quiet voice. "We should continue this conversation later, out of earshot of certain twin sisters."

I nodded dumbly, lost in his eyes. My lunch sat forgotten at the table until Edward tore his eyes away from mine to smack Emmett, who had been trying to steal Edward's composition book.

"Shit!" I heard Jasper curse as he scrambled to get all of his stuff together. "Bella, we have to get to Progression in fifteen minutes and it's the farthest building away!"

I too began frantically shoving my stuff into my bag, not wanting to forget anything or lose any time. Our teacher was apparently incredibly strict with time, but nothing else. If we got there late on the first day, we were bad kids from the start.

"Come on!" I urged my notebook to fit into my oversized bag. Finally, it slid in amongst the jumble of other stuff and Jasper and I scurried off, saying a quick goodbye to everyone. We didn't speak on the way there, saving our breath in case we needed to really run. Luckily, we scooted into the room just as the teacher made his way to shut the door.

"For future reference," he said as he rigidly locked the door and made his way to the front of the room. Jasper and I looked at each other and immediately sank down into two of the desks in the circle they were in. There were only about 10 people there, and everyone looked like they did something different. "I do not tolerate tardiness. It's unacceptable."

"My name is Mr. Greene, but you can call me G." he introduced himself happily, pulling a 360 in personality. Jasper and I shot each other another look at his sudden change in personality. He now had a spring in his step, and he had taken off his glasses and shoved them in his pocket. He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up. He looked twenty years younger when he smiled and it made everyone more comfortable. "I would have you call me Sam, but I can't. One, because the headmaster; and yes everyone, that's Dean Taylor's boss; frowns upon it."

He jumped slightly and sat up on his desk, which was at the head of our little circle. "And two; my name's not Sam."

We all laughed, and he grinned even wider, if that's possible. "Hey, I got laugh out of you already. Score one for me!"

We laughed again, and I'm assuming he took that as his cue to start. "This class isn't really a class as much as it's a support group, meant for allowing you to vent and build. If you can't figure out why your evil Art History teacher thinks your paper sucks for no reason, talk about it. Show it to us. Maybe it really does suck and then we'll help you, but maybe it's great and your teacher's just crazy."

He looked at each one of us in turn, and I blushed at the attention. "If your solo for your main mid-semester grade is missing something, bring it up. Sing us a bit, and we'll critique it. No, that doesn't meant that we all yell at you and tell you that it's horrible, but we'll tell you what's amazing and what's…not."

"So we're all in a group of people who do different things?" a bold looking strawberry blonde asked. The girl next to her with long, straight blonde straight hair nudged her as if to scold her, and the strawberry blonde shot her a look.

"What's your name?" Mr. Greene asked as he peered curiously at her, the smile never leaving his face.

"I'm Tanya." She said, a bit more shyly this time.

"Well Tanya, I give you brownie points for not being scared to speak up. I don't want that in this class." He said as he turned his gaze towards the class again. "And to answer your question, yes. All of you do different things, which leads to my next point."

He got up and walked over to the desk, pulling something out. I saw a plushy green teddy bear in his hands, and one girl giggled at the sight. "We're going to play a little game. I'll start off by saying my name, age, and what I do. Then, I'll throw the bear to someone who isn't next to me on either side until everyone has spoken. Hopefully, there won't be any casualties."

Everyone else laughed at that, but I was too nervous at the thought of having to throw a ball and speak publicly in the same hour. I hated calling attention to myself almost as much as how much I hated doing anything that could showcase my clumsiness. But Mr. Greene interrupted my thoughts.

"My name's Caleb Greene, I'm too young to be called Mr. but old enough to have a wife, and I play a bit of every instrument." He listed, tacking off a finger for each thing. When he finished, he tossed the bear lightly to Tanya.

"My name's Tanya Denali, I'll be nineteen in February, and I sing." She said, throwing the bear to a blonde boy across the circle.

"Hey, I'm Mike Newton. I'm eighteen and a half, and I play the drums." He said, growing a bit pink in embarrassment at all the eyes upon him. He threw the ball to a rugged looking guy a few seats away, who was staring at Tanya's friend.

"Oh, I'm Garrett Civil, I'm nineteen and I'm a guitarist." He tossed it to a kid with greasy black hair who seemed friendly enough.

"Eric Yorkie, eighteen, bassoon." He stuttered quickly and threw the bear at me.

"Um, my name is Bella Swan, I'm seventeen, and I'm an artist." I said nervously, blushing furiously at all the attention drawn to me.

"**The** Bella Swan? The one who got in like a year early?" a blonde girl asked in shock.

"Yeah." I said lamely as I threw her the bear.

"Well, my name is Lauren Gee and I play the violin. Oh, and I'm eighteen. And-a-half." She said, tossing her hair behind her shoulder. I saw her look at Jasper and wink, and tried to smother my laughter when he looked about ready to vomit. She catapulted the ball towards Jasper and it hit him in the nose.

"Hey, I'm Jasper Hale, I'm eighteen and I play the cello." He said simply and threw the bear at the girl Garrett was eyeing.

"Oh, well, my name's Kate Denali, I'm eighteen, and I sing too." She said, and deftly passed the ball to the next couple of people. We learned that the remaining people were Jessica who was nineteen and danced, James who was nineteen and acted, and Victoria who was eighteen and played the harp.

"And now that we all know each other, we're going to show each other a piece of our work. They're going to be called self portraits," he explained, ignoring the groans at the promise of possibly embarrassing work. "But they don't have to be drawings on paper. Using what you know best, I want you to create something in your medium that describes you best. I'm going to let you out a bit early so that you can start gearing up those brains, and I want to hear all about it on Monday. Have a good weekend!"

I stumbled out of my seat, too lost in my imagination to really notice Jasper catching my elbow when I tripped again. We continued to walk for another couple minutes, neither saying anything as the thoughts swirled around my brain. I hardly noticed when Jasper suddenly stopped. In fact, if he hadn't grabbed onto my elbow again, I would have kept walking.

"Bella?" he asked nervously as he fidgeted. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." I told him as I turned so I could look him in the eyes. He seemed to think for a minute, gathering his courage. He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. If he hadn't looked so serious, I would have giggled at how much he looked like a soldier preparing for battle.

"Do you think Alice would want to go on a date with me?" he blurted out in one breath. As soon as he finished, he turned a faint pink color and looked down at the ground. I giggled inwardly again, this time at how much he seemed like a little boy asking if a girl wanted to play on the monkey bars.

"I think she would love that." I said softly as I touched his arm, reassuring him.

"Really?" he asked with a joyous look in his eyes. I couldn't help but feel happy too, his grin was that infectious.

"Really." I told him, smiling back. He seemed so blissfully happy that even if I thought that Alice would say no, I would have lied to him to keep that million watt grin on his face. That's the thing I had realized about Jasper. He could make you feel things so much more than you'd be able to feel yourself.

"Um…so, can you make sure that she's going to be at breakfast tomorrow morning?" he asked, becoming nervous again.

"Sure thing Jasper. Good luck, but I've gotta go," I told him as I caught Edward jogging up to the steps to lead to our room. I grabbed my bag and headed off to follow him. Thankfully, for once in my life, I didn't trip and actually made it up to the door just as Edward knocked.

"Looking for someone?" I asked as I tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned around, startled. "Wh- oh. No, I just enjoy knocking on doors."

I made a face at him, and he chuckled before starting again.

"So, I found out that there's an open time slot tomorrow morning in Vivaldi. Would you be okay using that time for our little wager?" he asked.

"Sounds good," I agreed, stopping when he held up his hand. He held his slender, pale finger to his lips before he motioned for me to get a piece of paper and a pen out of my bag. Obliging, I gave him said items and his scrawled something furiously before handing it to me.

_**You up for having a little fun with Alice? I think she's listening on the other side of this door…**_

I grimaced, but nodded, ready for some revenge for my clothing heist. He snatched the paper again and wrote something else.

_**Go along with me here. **_

I looked up at Edward curiously, but he just smiled his crooked grin. Sighing quietly, I nodded my head.

"Bella, I need to tell you something." He said loudly, grinning furiously.

"Yes Edward?" I asked loudly. If Alice really was listening, she'd be able to hear everything.

"I'm in love with you. Will you marry me?" he asked. For a split second, I thought he was serious, and my heartbeat flew through the roof. I blushed, but simply smiled shyly when he looked at me curiously.

"Oh Edward, I love you too. Of course I will marry you!" I exclaimed. I eyed him nervously, wondering what else it would take to throw Alice off the deep end. I would have never predicted what he said next though.

"Let's go to Vegas right now." He suggested, making sure to emphasize the word Vegas. I opened m mouth to speak, but suddenly the door flew open.

"EDWARD ANTHONY MASEN CULLEN!! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY GO TO VEGAS FOR YOUR WEDDING?! YOU PROMISED ME THAT I COULD DO IT!!" Alice shrieked at an incredibly high decibel as she flew towards Edward.

"Alice," he choked out between laughs. I was pretty winded too. "You know what they say about eavesdroppers. Besides, I was only kidding."

"Well, you should have learned by now not to joke about these things. You too Bella!" she scolded us, wagging her fingers.

"I'd be a little nicer to me if I were you." I told her cryptically. Little did she know that tomorrow would be one of the biggest mornings of her life.

"What do you know?" she asked curiously as she raised her eyebrow. I shrugged, and she growled.

"Edward, Bella's going to have to tell you her idea for your little project later. I need to talk with her." Alice hissed, not bothering to look back at him.

"Actually, Bella and I need to practice." Edward lied quickly and smoothly as he tugged me out of Alice's grasp and threw me over his shoulders.

"Gah! This is not Bella-tug-of-war!" I gasped as Alice grabbed onto my feet, which were hanging over Edward's back, and started pulling. Thankfully, Edward swatted her arm away and made it down the stairs before another accident happened.

"Thanks for saving me, but can you put me down?" I asked timidly, blushing as I realized that the people staring as we walking down were staring at us.

"Nope. I like having you in my arms," he confessed, his voice still light and happy. I blushed again at his admittance. "Besides, I still have to hear your idea."

"You know, I can walk and talk at the same time. I'm not stupid." I informed him as he continued off towards the woodsy area near the left side of the common hall.

"I wanted to show you someplace." Edward said casually, but I could hear he nerves hidden in his voice.

Little did I know that I was about to visit one of the most amazing places in the world.


	6. Trudging

**Letting all of y'all know this now. From now on, all A/N will be at the bottom of the page. **

"Edward…this place…it's amazing." I said softly as I gazed around the meadow. Edward had led me into the wooded area, promising me that he wouldn't let me hurt myself. After an eventful trek, we made it to a clearing of sorts, which opened up into the most beautiful place I had ever seen. The perfectly circle meadow was dappled with light from the tree's that served as filters for the sun. The wild flowers that shot up sporadically across the campus were abundant here, and the entire circle was filled with their beautiful scent. It was the most amazing thing that I had ever seen.

"I agree." He whispered. We were lying on our backs, soaking up the sunshine and inhaling the beautiful aroma of daffodils and daisies. "There's something else I wanted to show you."

Curious, I moved my arms so that my weight was resting on my elbows and looked down at him, trying desperately to ignore the way my heart pounded at the sight.

God he was beautiful, especially when the sunlight accentuated some of his less prominent features. Like the way that the light would hit his eyes and make them sparkle endlessly, two glowing golden orbs in the sea of green. Or perhaps the way the sunlight and shadows were casting an amazing light on his less prominent jaw line, making the skin on his throat seem smooth and flawless. He was so beautiful that it was like he was some sparkling mythical creature that I'd never be able to get enough of. Only, in reality, he was still the painfully gorgeous man and I was merely an outsider allowed to view him for a few hours every day.

I blushed as I realized that I had been staring at his face for much longer than what would have been polite, but when I looked back into his eyes again, I found him doing the same to me. I flushed a deeper red than I thought possible, making the situation even more embarrassing, if that was even possible.

"Hmm?" I asked, now embarrassed and unsure of what we were talking about. He smiled, but said nothing, merely nodding his head towards the brook that was a few feet away. I looked closer, and gasped when I saw that stacks of my sketching things were carefully placed near the edge. I grinned and leapt up, thankful that I didn't lose my balance. I stumbled back a moment later, collapsing into my previous position.

"How did you know to bring these?" I asked as I greedily tore through my newest book for a clean page.

"This was a place of inspiration for me. I only hoped that it would help you as well," he said, shrugging. "And I was hoping to discuss that idea you'd mentioned."

"Oh, it wasn't really much of an idea." I mumbled, flushing again when I realized that my idea wasn't as good as it sounded a few hours ago.

"I highly doubt that," Edward assured me as he flipped himself over so that he was now lying on his stomach, elbows supporting his head. "Please tell me?"

"Well…" I said shyly, staring at the blank page on my book rather than at Edward. "I was think that we could…well, _I_ could…maybe…paint you composing?"

He grinned furiously. "Alice would never see that one coming."

"So you like it?"

"I love it." He said as he looked in my eyes.

***

**Surprise! Guess who's talking…**

God, she was beautiful. Not just beautiful.

Breathtaking.

Stunning.

Gorgeous.

Fantastic.

Striking.

Out of my league.

We were currently starting the walk to the meadow I had discovered a few weeks ago during the ridiculous orientation. I had stumbled upon it and was immediately struck with its beauty. Though compared to the amazing girl next to me, it was merely a patch of grass next to a puddle of water.

"Edward?" she asked tentatively after a moment. I looked over to her and had to swallow a laugh, for she currently had her foot stuck in a hole.

"Go on, laugh it up." She said, but I could tell she was truly embarrassed by the obvious flush in her cheeks. It was beautiful and endearing and I couldn't get enough. Realizing that I was staring, I chuckled and made my way back to her, for she was a good ten paces behind me.

Reaching her side, I knelt down beside her and found that her foot was stuck up to her ankle in a mole hole that had caved in. Deciding that I would have to yank it out, I gently placed my hands around her ankle. She gasped and I withdrew them immediately.

"I'm sorry. Does that hurt you?" I asked frantically as I pulled up her jeans a bit to examine her ankle. There was no swelling, and her ankle was as incredibly pale as the rest of her.

"N-no. You just startled me." She stuttered apologetically and blushed. God, what I would give to be able to run a finger across her cheek, merely reveling in the beauty and heat. I smiled weakly back at her and resumed my examination of her ankle.

Five minutes later and her foot was still stuck.

"This isn't working!" she exclaimed angrily as she threw up her hands. What she didn't realize was how endearing her anger was. Bella was simply not an angry person. It was like a tiny kitten trying to appear vicious. It just couldn't happen, and usually ended up making the creature more adorable. Frustrated, I ran my hands through my hair and groaned.

"All right, this is my last idea." I said with finality. "I'm going to pull on your ankle from behind you. Hopefully, you won't fall. But if you do, I'll be right behind you to break it. On the count of three."

"One." I started. I heard her take a deep breath, as if holding it would make it easier for me to pull her ankle up from the crevice.

"Two." She said, interrupting me. Apparently, she didn't like having her foot stuck in the hole either. I quickly pulled myself up off the ground and stood behind her, bending over as if I was teaching her how to play golf. I grabbed her ankle and she put her hands over mine, ready to help.

"Three." We said in unison. I gritted my teeth and heaved. Finally, after a moment, I could hear a twig snap from under the ground and her foot came out of the hole. Unfortunately, this toppled us over and Bella fell onto my chest, the breath whooshing out of her. After I caught my breath enough to speak, I looked up at her and saw her magnificent blush.

"Sorry." She mumbled, abashed. Already, her cheeks were the reddest I had ever seen them, and they had never been as beautiful as they were now. Her hair was falling in her face, and it was taking everything I had not to touch her. Her hands were resting on my chest and her legs were tangled up with mine, making escape impossible.

"Don't be." I murmured gently as my hand reached up and brushed a piece of hair out of her face of its own accord. It was almost like my hand had decided that the fact that I had known her for barely a week made no difference and decided to take matters into its own hands (no pun intended).

She looked up at me, still very red, and apologized again as she tried to get up.

"Hold on a minute. I'm tiiiirrrreeeed." I said as I grabbed her arms, whining a bit at the end to see if I could earn a laugh. She blushed again and giggled, making my world shine for moment. She relaxed her muscles a bit, letting her hands rest on my chest more loosely and allowing her forehead to lie in between them. I moved my hands from her arms and tentatively wrapped them around her petite form.

"If I'm getting too heavy," she warned me quietly a moment later. But I didn't let her finish.

"Hah. Bella, you're almost lighter than Alice." I laughed, enjoying the way her name sounded as it rolled off my tongue. _Bella. Bell-la. Isa-bella. Bella Swan. Isabella Swan. Mrs. Isabella Cullen. Mrs. Edward Cullen…_

"Tell me about yourself, Bella." I pleaded as I came out of my reverie.

"I'm not really that interesting." She claimed as she moved her head, laying the side of it on my chest.

"Please?" I begged. I had to know everything I could about this girl.

"What do you want to know?" she sighed in defeat a moment later. I smiled, reveling in the victory and anticipation and committing the way her voice sounded to memory before continuing.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Topaz." She said automatically, but she threw her hands over her mouth and upon further examination, I could tell she was blushing.

"Why is that embarrassing?" I asked inquisitively.

"Nothing." She mumbled as she dropped her hands and buried her face in my chest instead. I stared at her for a moment, trying to decipher the reason. Seeing none, I continued on.

"Favorite memory."

"Favorite memory? That's a funny question." She said, wrinkling her nose. I sat up, pulling her with me, and we rose. I dropped her hand, but made sure that it was right behind her back as we strolled. I didn't want her falling again.

"Well?" I insisted.

"Hmm…probably…a few years ago. I was with my mom, and we were at the pier, just laughing and talking. I felt…I dunno…this probably sounds really dumb…but I felt…loved. Like…I was wanted, and happy, and nothing could go wrong." She said softly, sounding almost wistful.

"That doesn't sound dumb at all." I whispered gently, she was a soap bubble and my words would pop her. She gave me a small smile through her blush and continued walking.

Thirty minutes later, we were almost there and in complete hysterics.

"Y-you mean that Alice actually l-leapt into the pit?" she giggled uncontrollably. Just the sound made my giddy, and even if I didn't already chuckle at the story, her voice would have made me happy enough.

"Straight into the orchestra pit." I chuckled. "Did I mention she was blindfolded?"

"What?" she laughed incredulously.

"Yup. Her director told her that she should know the floor well enough to do the routine blindfolded and she decided to try it in an empty dark theatre during our lunch period."

We laughed together for the rest of the short trek until we finally reached the edge of the clearing.

"Is this it?" she asked excitedly. She was obviously too caught up in her excitement to be embarrassed, for her blush never appeared.

"Almost." I hinted, and she pouted at me. I chuckled and tried to hide my amusement.

"It's straight ahead." I told her, and she darted ahead to the trees that were just outside the meadow. She disappeared a moment later, and I had reached close enough to hear her gasp.

"Oh Edward. It's…beautiful." She whispered in awe.

"Yes, you are." I whispered under my breath before I made my way to her side.

**First off, yes, I know. I'm a jerk muffin. (By the way, Stephanie, you're the only one to call me on my mistake. I applaud your boldness.) I lied and that's very, very bad. I should be forced to suffer (like sticking me in a room with Jacob during New Moon and saying that I can't throttle him) for my actions. But…I didn't realize that I needed to go in to school all day to work, and when I got home I had mountains, (Seriously, they were huge! There's still one nerdy scientist studying them so he can figure out where to put them on the maps.) of homework that I needed to do. Anywho, after November 15, I will be able to update much faster and much more regularly. **

**Also, I'd just like to apologize for being one of those writers who throws in a new point of view, because I understand that it irritates some people, but the chapter ended up flowing nicely that way and I couldn't bear to change it. So…please tell me what you thought and I will update as soon as I can on my other stories. Hasta la Vista!**

**PS-MeghanCullen, did Alice's incident sound familiar? I mean, we only heard the story…what, eight times last spring? Tehehe…too funny!**


	7. Dreaming

"Bella…" a voice called softly. I smiled as soon as I recognized the melodious, velvety sound of Edward's voice.

"Edward?" I called. I was standing in the meadow, adorned in a white sundress, and while I could hear Edward, I couldn't see him.

"Bella!" he called happily. I turned my head towards the direction of his voice and gasped when I saw him emerge from the trees. He and I matched, for he was wearing khakis and a white button down shirt. Not only did he look like his usual god-like self, but as soon as he set foot in the sunlight, he began to glow.

"My Bella," he crooned lovingly as he jogged closer to me. He picked me up and twirled me around in his arms, chuckling blissfully. I giggled lightly and blushed as he set me down but didn't let me go, encasing me in his cool embrace.

"I love you." He whispered adoringly as he gazed into my eyes. I felt my heart skip a beat and my eyes widened as I blushed in response.

"I…I lo…I…." I said, the words sounding foreign on my lips. I stuttered a bit at first, my mind working in overtime to decipher this enigma. Did I really love Edward? Was that why my stomach clenched as he walked into a room, or why I flushed every time he so much as looked at me, or why my heart soared every time I heard his beautiful laugh or saw his perfect crooked grin? Yes. "I love you too, Edward."

But I didn't have much time to reflect on the major event that had just happened, for Edward's eyes lit up ad his mouth stretched into a smile so wide I was afraid his face was going to crack. All of a sudden, his hand was behind my neck, tilting my face upwards as his lips crashed down onto mine…

"**ISABELLA MARIE SWAN!!!**"

Well that wasn't right. Why was Alice here? And why were Edward's lips frozen a mere inch above mine?

"**BELLA!**" she called again. At this, Edward opened his eyes and gazed at me softly. With a sad look, he began to step backwards.

"Edward!" I called desperately, begging for him to return. He smiled apologetically before stepping back into the shadows and disappearing entirely.

"Come back." I whispered pitifully, my hand outstretched towards him.

"**WAKE UP!!!**"

"Whaa…Alice?" I asked groggily as I blearily opened my eyes to see Alice crouched my bed, a mere inch away from my head.

"You talk in your sleep." She informed me as she straightened up to her full height (which, on a good day, was only 5 feet and ¾ of an inch).

"I…what?" I asked again as I sat up slowly in bed, running my fingers through my hair.

"Well, for one thing, you talk in your sleep. Also, you said, after much mumbling and deliberation, that you loved Edward. I'm assuming you're in fact talking about my twin brother and not that character from the classic books you talked about finding later." She listed with a smile as she turned to open my closet. "And finally, in the week that I've known you, you have never run your fingers through your hair, while my brother does that all the time."

"Alice," I warned, trying to sound mad to hide my furious blush.

"And you're pinching the bridge of your nose, which is another one of my brother's bad habits." She told me happily as she flounced onto the bed next to me, a set of paint covered jeans and blue paint spattered tank-top in tow.

"I'm assuming I'm supposed to get dressed now?" I asked as I tried to convince myself to stop blushing and change the subject.

"Was it love at first sight?" she asked insistently.

"Alice." I complained, flopping back onto my pillow.

"I'm not going to stop until you answer me." Alice said.

"Ugh. Honestly, I don't know. Can we just say that…I like Edward more than I should and call it done?" I pled, hiding my face in my hands.

"Bella." Alice admonished softly. "Look at me."

I complied, rolling my eyes as I removed my hands from my eyes and sat up. She took my hands and forced me to look at her.

"What do you mean, more than you should?" She asked gently.

"Alice, look at him. He's…well…and look at me! We don't fit. We couldn't ever." I informed her.

"Bella, you really don't see yourself clearly. You're beautiful." She insisted. "And while I may not have known you for long, and while you may hate shopping, I can look past all that and see that you'd be the best thing to happen to my brother."

"Thanks, Alice." I told her sincerely, not caring for the first time that I was as red as a rose. "Though this may be a bit early. I haven't known your brother for more than a week and a half!"

"Trust me. You two are going places." She said ominously as she winked. We laughed for a minute before Alice glanced at the clock.

"BELLA! You distracted me! I only have 30 minutes to make you over before we have to leave!" she shrieked, making me jump. "Here, go change into this."

A few minutes later, I emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered and changed into the paint clothes.

"Hey Alice? Where's that holey shirt? I usually wear it over this." I told her as I emerged, feeling self conscious in the thin cotton.

"You're not wearing anything over it." She said as she appeared out of nowhere, shoving me onto the floor by her bed.

"But Al-"

"Don't but Alice me!" she ordered as her pale fingers nimbly brushed through my hair. She began braiding as she told me of her plans.

"Today, Rose and I are going to drive up to the closest mall, which is about an hour away. It may not be the best, but it has some amazing boutiques near it." She said as she tied my hair back in some complicated and painful twist. "We're going to get you some _real_ clothes, probably some make-up and essentials too, because God knows you need them, and then we'll come back and show you. Maybe sometime tonight we can all hang out someplace."

Little did Alice know that she was not hanging out with us tonight. Instead, Alice would be out on a date with Jasper, if all plans went well, and afterward they would work on their "project", whatever they were doing for their side of this disastrous bet.

Ten minutes, three different mascara's, and eight, **Just **_**one**_** more thing**'s later, and I was deemed ready to go to Vivaldi. Mind you, I still had to eat breakfast and figure out where all of my stuff was before meeting Edward in ten minutes, but according to Alice, it was worth it.

"Just don't touch your hair for a minute. The hairspray is still wet. Your hair is just so _thick_!"She said as she flitted around, throwing seemingly random items into a designer handbag. At the mention of my hair, I gingerly patted the plait that was elegantly holding back my hair. Apparently, French braids hurt. A lot.

I was imitating Alice at this point, shoving random bits of paper and writing utensils in my bag so that I could take a little more care later when cramming paints and canvases in their assigned bags, when I heard the knock on the door. Alice had ducked into the bathroom for a moment, declaring that she needed make-up and _fast_ and to please let Rose in if she knocked.

"Come in!" I hollered as I frantically threw a fistful of colored pencils into their case. Why I'd need them to paint, I had no idea, but I was too worried about meeting Edward ten minutes away in five minutes to really care.

I heard the door open and shut, so I assumed that it was Rose and continued on. I was pulling myself out from underneath my bed, a particularly large canvas in my hands, when I saw a tube of paint roll itself off my bed, falling all the way to the opposite side. I groaned and tucked the tendril of hair that had been falling out of the twist for forever before leaping clumsily onto the bed. I collapsed onto my stomach and stuck my arm underneath the bed, wriggling it as far down as it could go. I felt the very edge of the tube and began to pull it up towards me when it slipped out of my fingers and rolled to the exact center of the bed.

"UGH!" I groaned in frustration before taking a deep breath and diving onto the floor again, letting out a whoosh of air as I hit the ground. I winced and gently pressed the spot on my hip where I fell. Oh yeah. It was going to bruise.

"Hold….still!" I told the inanimate object as I grasped for it blindly in the dark. Suddenly, something pale gently pushed the tube over to my outstretched hand. I closed it into my palm without thinking, and was about to get up when I realized that the tube didn't move by itself, meaning that there was something else there. Deciding that I needed to be brave, I reached my shaky hand out and poked the pale object, surprised at how it felt. Almost squishy, but too hard to be considered soft, and cool and soothing as well. Almost like the wrist of someone who used their fingers a lot…like to play piano…

"Hey Bella." Edward's voice greeted me from somewhere to my left as the hand waved gently. Without thinking, I gasped and reflexively tried to get away. Unfortunately, my self-preservation instincts were about as good as those of a dead cat, so my head flew up into the wood frame of my bed.

"Ohh…" I moaned as I held my head, remaining where I was for a moment. Edward's hand was gone, and I wondered briefly where he was, until a second later when I discovered myself sliding out from under the bed as if by magic. I looked up and saw Edward's concerned face somewhere above me.

"Bella? Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I really must apologize. It's just that-" he ranted on as he crouched down next to me, pulling my fingers gently away from my head so he could examine the tender spot right where the braid started.

"Edward? It's fine." I assured him, rolling my eyes to the top of my head to try and see him. I heard him chuckle and felt something press gently into my forehead before he sat down next to me.

"Rosal…Edward? Oh, it's only you." Alice said as she walked out of the bathroom. She threw me a wink and a **we need to talk later** look as she walked to her bed and began hunting down shoes.

"Hello to you too, Alice." He said as he eased himself up and offered me a hand. Gladly accepting, I felt the same spark as usual as he lifted me up to my feet.

As Alice and I scrambled around trying to grab everything at the last minute, Edward helped re-arrange everything I had already packed into a more organized layout, allowing me to take only one bag. But by the time we walked out five minutes later, Alice was nowhere near as calm as I now was.

"Where the hell is she?" she fumed, pacing from one side of the room to the other. "I told her _specifically_, meet me at my room at 9:30, and what time is it? 9:32!"

"Alice, it's only two minutes after you said. Maybe she's just…" I tried to soothe her, but trailed off at the furious glare she shot me.

"No excuse." She hissed.

"We should leave now before she really gets mad." Edward whispered in my ear, making me shiver unconsciously. I managed to nod weakly in agreement, and he began to back up slowly, tugging my waist along with him. I tripped several times , of course, but made it successfully to the door, where Edward craftily opened it. With gently pull, he brought me outside and shut the door quickly. Before he could even ask, I had my key out and the door locked.

"Shall we?" he asked with a purposely butchered British accent (at least, I hope it was butchered on purpose), holding out his arm.

"We shall." I giggled back in an equally bad accent as I boldly linked arms with him. He, ever so slyly, took my rather large and cumbersome bag off of my shoulders and slid it onto his. Ever the gentleman, he held open the door to Vivaldi as we walked inside, still arm in arm.

"Well…here goes nothing."

**Guess what? I'm not dead! I also did not visit Antarctica to see some penguins and ice, or go to see if the moon was really made of cheese, or visit Forks, Washington to see if I could hunt me down a Cullen man. I did, however, eat my weight in mashed potatoes and whipped cream (separately, of course), get Novocain at the dentist, and get pink eye. All of these are excuses which are rather lame, because I signed the imaginary contract that I would write and update as soon as I could. I'm sorry, but I'm kind of a flake in the way that I write. Por exampla, I wrote three chapters each of two stories in one night, but it took me DAYS to get these just over 2000 words out. I'm trying, I really am!!!**

**Music Listened to:**

**Assorted Regina Spektor, show tunes (yeah, I've always known I'm a dork), big band/jazz, and nineties music; The Show Must Go On (from Moulin Rouge, but Queen isn't bad either) {I listened to this like eight million times!}**

***If anyone wants song recommendations, I can give them to you, I'm simply too lazy right now!**


	8. Falling

"Ok. It's fine. No pressure, you're just drawing the most god-like creature to walk the earth…" I mumbled quietly. Edward, thank the heavens, was busy ensuring the piano was in tune, or I'm almost positive he would have heard me. The corner of his lips did quirk up a bit, but I cast that off as a fluke. I was breathing deeply and trying to picture someplace soothing, but all I could come up with was the meadow and my dream. All that did was raise my heart rate and cause me to turn the color of a strawberry.

"So." He said as he turned around. His hair was all mussed, like he had just run his hands through it. "Do you want to…"

_Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. _

"What's that noise?" I asked.

"It's my phone."He smiled apologetically at me before digging around in his pockets. "Hello?"

"EDWARD! Finally! I've been calling you for the past five minutes! What have you been doing?!?" A voice screamed. It sounded familiar. Almost like Alice. But it couldn't have been Alice, she was at the cafeteria talking to…oh crap.

"Edward!" I whispered loudly.

"Alice. Calm down. I was just tuning, everything's fine. What's wrong with you?" He asked.

"What's wrong?!? What's wrong?!? Shouldn't you know what's wrong?" Alice cried.

"Edward!" I whispered again. He needed to hang up or stall. I needed more time to think about how I could fix this…

"Alice, breathe." He ordered, taking a few breaths to demonstrate. "Now, I honestly have no idea what's wrong. You're going to have to tell me, and then we can fix it. Okay?"

"No! It isn't _okay_!" she mimicked. Edward winced and held the phone away from his ear. Alice sure could project. "Oh my god. She didn't tell you, did she? She probably has no idea."

"She? She who, Alice?" Edward asked. The poor man was so confused, he had absolutely no idea what was happening.

"Is Bella there?" Alice asked wryly.

"Damn." I muttered dejectedly.

"Bella?" he asked. His eyes were a muddled shade of gold, accurately portraying his confusion. Poor Edward.

"I heard her." I sighed as I took the phone from his hands. "So I'm guessing that you've talked to Jasper."

"As a matter of fact, I did. Jasper got concerned when I didn't show up for breakfast, so he asked Rosalie for my number. I was sitting right next to her, so I just grabbed the phone then." She told me.

"Alice, I'm so incredibly sorry. It's just…it's been such a weird morning, what with the dream, and you waking me up and everything. It slipped my mind. Will you forgive me?" I plead.

"Well…I forgive you. To be honest, I didn't think you really forgot. I figured that you told Edward and he stole you away so you couldn't tell me. It wouldn't be the first time." She said. "But that's beside the point. You don't seem like you usually forget things. Are you PMS-ing or something?"

"Or something." I replied dryly.

"Oh. OH! You mean…gotcha. We are SO going to talk later." Alice promised.

"Sure. Well, I truly am sorry. Are you two going out?" I asked in a tone that hopefully sounded curious. I was curious, but I was more hoping to change the subject. I hoped they would, though. They were just the kind of people that needed to be together, that fit, that made the world seem right and beautiful. Rosalie and Emmett. Alice and Jasper. Bella and Edwa…_whoa_. _Where the heck did that come from?_

"Yeah." She said softly. In fact, if it weren't Alice, I would assume it was shy. But Alice was never shy. "I really like him, Bella."

"He feels the same way Alice. I can tell." I said softly.

"Thanks." She said. "I'll talk to you later. Oh, and Rosalie says to meet back at our room at five. The six of us are going to go out for dinner and then us girls will put your closet together. Bye!"

I groaned and heard the tinkling noise of Alice's laugh before I snapped the phone shut. Edward looked at me with a funny face.

"They're going out?" He asked. I nodded hesitantly, not really sure of how I wanted to answer.

He took a deep breath. "That's…good to know."

"Did you hear that last part?" I asked.

"Yeah. We'd better get started though. I would like to get as much done as possible." He said, smiling a bit at me. I smiled back and felt my knees go weak as he stared into my eyes. What gave him the right to be so…Edward? Flawless, poised, elegant, handsome, gentlemanly, perfect.

As he turned around, I sucked in a deep breath before marching steadily back to my easel. Gripping the edges, I mentally prepared myself and made a promise not to be nervous.

"Are you alright, Bella?" Edward asked. I opened my eyes to find him sitting at the piano bench, staring up at me.

"Fine," I replied. He looked at me curiously, but decided to drop it.

"Where would you like me to be?"

"Wherever you feel most comfortable is fine. Just pretend like I'm not here." I answered. He nodded and turned to face the keys once more. I let my eyes flutter shut for a moment before they gradually opened to reveal the blank canvas. I picked up a pencil and made sure that my paints were out and ready, just in case inspiration struck.

I lifted the pencil to the paper…and Edward began to play. And it was beautiful. The single most beautiful thing I had ever heard. It was so sweet and gentle, very endearing. But then it escalated to become more passionate and fiery, and as it became the most searing, it was also the most indecisive. I was so enraptured that I didn't realize I had been sketching Edward the entire time. I wasn't even looking at him. It was like I was in a trance.

When the music began to cool and sweeten again, I broke out of my trance and glanced at the canvas. I gasped when I saw it and dropped my pencil in surprise.

Edward was staring back at me…and the sight made my stomach turn. He was sitting at the piano bench, fingers raised above the keys as if he had just ended the piece. The piano was unfinished, and his clothes were merely outlines, but that wasn't what caused my stomach to twist. It was the look on his half opened eyes as they looked back towards me. His golden eyes were glazed over, as if he was lost in a trance, and they were so full of emotion. Desire, worship, joy, adoration. Love.

"Bella?"

I hadn't realized that the music had stopped. I assumed that Edward was concerned over my unusual behavior, but I couldn't look over at him to see. I couldn't tear my eyes away from my painting. I was frozen.

"Bella?" he asked again. I was paralyzed, unable to talk or move or breathe. It terrified me. I wanted him to look at me with that gaze, as if I was the only thing holding him on the earth. And I knew that he never would.

"Bella!" Now he sounded frightened. That couldn't be right. An angel like Edward should never sound upset. I idly wondered what was worrying him, until I felt something wet slip down the side of my cheek.

"BELLA!" He sounded so close now. I still couldn't move. I was too busy being lost in my thoughts.

The next thing I knew, someone was shaking my shoulders. Startled, I turned to look at Edward. He was crouching next to me and had moved his hands to my neck, angling my head so I was forced to look at him.

"Bella." He said, sounding relieved. I blinked, trying to fight back tears. He was looking at me…and there was nothing. Concern, yes. Relief, yes. Desire? No. And at that exact moment, I knew I was gone. Utterly lost. Because I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Edward Cullen.*

"What's wrong?" he asked. I looked back at him and forced a watery, quavering smile.

"Nothing. I'm fine. You can keep playing." I told him unconvincingly.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine, really." I reassured him.

"You scared me." He admitted after a moment of silence, like it was his biggest secret. He got up and in three long strides was back at the piano.

He soon began playing again, slipping back into the sinuous melody from before. But it was as if he was a mind reader, for the formerly sweet and burning piece turned melancholy. I don't think I could have handled any more.

I sat still for another moment before I picked up my pencil hesitantly. I finished sketching in the piano, but skirted around anything Edward centered.

"Hey Bella?" Edward asked gently. I had just finished the painful process of drawing in the simple details of Edward's clothing before the music stopped.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to take a break for lunch?" He suggested.

I glanced up at the clock for a moment, and upon seeing that it was 11:30, I agreed.

The walk was short and quiet, each of us lost in our thoughts. I wasn't even really paying attention, letting my feet follow the now familiar path towards the dining hall. That is, until Edward gently grabbed my elbow and lead me towards the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" I asked incredulously.

"I figured we could go somewhere else. Take a real break. Relax." He tacked on the last part as an afterthought, glancing at me curiously. I internally groaned, knowing that there was no way for me to escape explaining my previous actions. Which would be even harder, considering that I hardly knew what I was doing then.

"But…But we'll be eating out tonight too." I protested weakly, shuffling along slowly.

"Bella, I hardly think that eating out twice in one day is going to turn us into gluttons." He scoffed.

"Fine." I grumbled. My day seemed as if it was taking a straight nosedive down into awful. First the rude awakening from the terribly confusing dream, then nearly ruining Alice and Jasper's budding relationship, and now this. This stupid sketch of his stupid perfect eyes was going to ruin _our_ budding friendship, because I made an irrational decision and expected him to read my mind or something. Now I was being angry and harsh with Edward all because of some silly little fluke. Maybe Alice was right. Maybe I was PMS-ing.

I was jarred out of my thoughts when Edward gently deposited me in my seat and shut the door. Faster than I thought was possible (though who was I to judge? I could barely walk in a straight line without falling), he was sitting in his seat and starting the car.

"Whoa." I breathed.

"What?" he asked, slinging one arm over the back of the seat as he pulled out.

"Is your car always this…quiet?" I asked. It was just so odd, the silence. The truck my dad had gotten me when I had moved to Forks was loud and rumbling. The radio barely worked and the entire cab pulsated as the gears were switched. But I loved it. Which is why it was so weird to be driving without any foreign sound. His music was turned down, the car barely purred, and our voices were hushed.

"Only when Alice is gone." He chuckled, twisting back into his normal position. We sat in silence for a moment or two, until we were off of the winding dirt path that led to the school and onto the highway.

"Do you mind?" he asked, his hand hovering over the volume knob.

"No, it's fine." I replied. He pushed the button, and soon the soothing music of Debussy was swirling through the car.

"You listen to Debussy?" he asked incredulously. I hadn't realized it, but I had been humming along with the music.

"Just Clair de Lune." I admitted sheepishly.

"You never cease to surprise me." He muttered quietly. The remainder of the ride was spent listening to the piano music drifting from the speakers. Very little was said, but the silence was comfortable. And I had plenty of time to dwell on the peculiar situation with the artwork.

I had convinced myself that the drawing was a fluke, one simple little thing that didn't really matter. And I was too weirded out from the dream to make a rational decision about what the drawing meant for me. As soon as we got back, that drawing would go back in the reject pile and Edward would be none the wiser.

"Where are we?" I wondered aloud as Edward opened my door and offered his hand.

"It's just a little café Alice and I ran into when we visited." Edward explained.

"I'm sorry about my mood earlier." I apologized once we were seated at a little cozy table near the back. "I was just…lost in my thoughts. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

"Don't worry about it." He waved me off. "Though I know a way you could pay me back…"

"How?" I asked curiously. Something about the look in his eyes didn't seem like it boded well for me.

"Ignore everything I'm about to say." His eyes turned desperate and pleading, so I quickly acquiesced. I opened my mouth to ask why, but was interrupted.

"What can I get for you today, _handsome_?" A voice screeched in my ear. I winced and looked up to see a blonde smacking her gum and batting her lashes at Edward, who was grimacing and trying to ignore her. I tried to cover up my jealousy with a laugh, but it came out more like a strangled cry.

"Bella?" he asked, trying to divert her attention. It didn't really work. She glanced over at me out of the corner of her eye, but continued to focus her attention on Edward.

"Umm…I'll have a Coke." I said. She looked expectantly at Edward for his order.

"Make that two," he requested. She realized that staring at Edward wasn't working well enough, so she switched tactics and began pushing out her chest.

"Well," She said in a voice that I'm sure was intended to sound sultry. "Let me know if I can get you…_anything_…else."

"That was awkward." I said as soon as she was out of earshot. Edward was running a hand through his hair nervously.

"That was tame. You should have heard her last time when Alice had to leave to make a phone call." He groaned.

"But you didn't say anything, much less anything to ignore." I pointed out.

"Will you do me a favor?" He asked me suddenly.

"You can't just change the subject like that." I told him. "But I guess so, yeah."

"Rescue me the next time she says something like that?" he begged.

"Edward…" I stalled. That whole situation would screw with my new _it-was-just-a-fluke_-psyche, and I really didn't want to mess with someone like that. It seemed manipulative and spiteful and…

"Please Bella?" he plead, looking into my eyes. And just as I was about to decline, something in his eyes changed. They began to smolder like they had in my picture, full of desire and intensity. I was lost.

"Fine." I breathed, still lost in those pools of molten gold.

"Thank you so much." He said, relaxing into his seat. He broke eye contact for a minute when he looked at his watch, and I sucked in a breath as I was brought back to the real world.

"Two cokes for the handsome customer." The waitress cooed in a sickening voice as she set down the sodas near Edward's hand, making sure to "accidentally" brush up against his hand.

"And his girlfriend." I piped up. Both heads shot up to look at me, one in gratitude and the other with malice. I blushed with all of the attention, and took a deep breath. _What was I going to do?_

***Taken from back of Twilight; Stephenie Meyer's quote, not my writing; all credit goes to her for that line ;)**

**Music Listened To:**

**Lucky (Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Caillait), The Way You Make Me Feel (Michael Jackson), Here It Goes Again (Ok Go), The Middle (Jimmy Eat World), I Can Go The Distance (Roger Bart, from Hercules), Lacrymosa (Evanescence), Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat (The Aristocats), **

**I'm a horrendous updater, and I apologize! But life is crazy and hectic, so I write when I can. Thanks for sticking with the story and yelling at me. It's forcing me to write and I love the support that this story is getting. Thanks again!**


	9. Discoveries

Previously (geez, now I feel like I'm writing for a soap opera or something)…

"_And his girlfriend." I piped up. Both heads shot up to look at me, one in gratitude and the other with malice. I blushed with all of the attention, and took a deep breath. What was I going to do?_

***

"Well then," She simpered, glaring at me like I just kicked her puppy. "My mistake."

Edward snickered and I shot him a glare, trying to communicate the fact that I was no longer going to aid him.

"I'll have the mushroom ravioli." Edward said with a mock-serious expression.

"I'll have the same." I said, never breaking eye contact with Edward, whom I was glaring down.

"Wonderful," She snarled before snatching away our menus and strutting off. As soon as she was out of ear shot, Edward erupted into laughter.

"Shut up, Edward!" I hissed, looking around and noticing all the stares we were getting. "It's not funny!"

"You're right. That wasn't funny." He said, trying to quiet his laughter. "It was _hilarious_!"

"See if I help you any more…" I muttered.

"What? Bella, you have to help me! That woman is insane!" He pleaded, giving me a puppy dog pout to rival Alice's. _Those stupid perfect eyes…_

"No! I don't even know what possessed me to say that in the first place. We are going to have a nice, quiet lunch and then go back to school. End of story." I stated, getting a little flustered.

"If you insist…" He sighed, making sure to give me one last pathetic looking gaze.

"I insist." I affirmed. And we did just that. The poor waitress was furious for the rest of our meal, until Edward slipped her a ten dollar tip as we were leaving. Edward refused to let me pay, but thankfully didn't bring up my previous behavior. I don't even know how I would have explained it. It was completely unreasonable, it made no sense, but…there was still that tugging feeling whenever I saw the sketch, like it reminded me of what I really wanted.

Maybe those mushrooms were poisoned.

After we arrived back at the school and Edward parked his car, we took our time walking back to admire the rays of sunshine peeking out of the clouds…until those clouds began to leak.

"AHH!!!" I squealed as I threw my spare jacket over my head. We still had at least a ten minute walk, and it was pointless to go back and get the car. The raindrops were absolutely drenching us, but there was no lightening or thunder, so there was no immediate danger. I was very used to the rain, courtesy of a semester at Forks High, so I gave up and let my jacket fall.

I glanced over at Edward to see how he was faring and saw him imitating my actions. My hair starting getting plastered to my face, so I tilted my head up and spread my arms out, letting the water wash my hair back. While a good portion of it was still in the braid, there were wisps getting absolutely plastered to my face.

It took a few seconds until I remembered that I was wearing mascara today and would soon look like a raccoon. I panicked and wiped a finger beneath my eyelid to see if there was any smearing…but Alice was a genius. She must have used waterproof. _Clairvoyant little sprite…_

Edward began to chuckle and I snapped my head around in confusion.

"I haven't done this since I was six." He explained. I grinned back at him and he smiled that perfect crooked grin. Heaven help me…

"Miss Swan," Edward said suavely as he bowed and held out his hand. I laughed at his craziness and shook my head.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, looking up at me through his wet bronze hair and his thick dark lashes, dazzling me…

"I…I can't dance." I stuttered as I fumbled for words in my stupor.

"Please?" His eyes did that thing where they turned into molten puddles of gold…and I melted.

I sighed, but gingerly placed my hand in his. He grinned up at me and fluidly stood up, facing me as he did so. He gently placed one of his large piano hands at my waist and gripped my hand tightly with his other. I tentatively placed my hand on his shoulder and he smiled encouragingly.

"I apologize in advance for any toes I might step on." I said quietly. He shook his head at me and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Not a chance," he whispered. I shivered as I felt his breath hit the back of my neck and he pulled back.

He began to slowly waltz us around in the rain, twirling us around and stopping occasionally to spin me out and then spin me back in. He began humming something beautiful, and his fingers drummed out an imaginary melody on my waist. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he stared at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Let's go." He said as he spun around and began running, carting me along with him.

"Edward?" I called after him as he tugged on my hand to keep me running.

He turned his head and smiled at me in reassurance, but I was still confused. We managed to make it back to the building without tripping once, but we were completely soaked.

"I don't want to get this place all wet, but I need my stuff…" He explained absentmindedly. I stood at the door, dripping quietly, while he scurried around, trying to move without getting water everywhere. He made it to his piano before a single drop fell, and even then he made sure that it never dripped on anything but the tile flooring.

"Let's go," he said as he ran his hand through his sopping wet hair. His composition book was in a clear plastic baggie, completely waterproof.

We made our way over to the dorm houses in the same manner, jogging through the pouring rain, though between Edward's and my hands was the smooth plastic of his compositions.

"Where…" I began to ask but gave up as he lead us past mine and Alice's dorm.

Edward made it about three houses down when he veered into one of the entryways and began climbing stairs. We stopped in front of a white door with paint splashed all over it and he fumbled in his pockets for a key. He pulled it out after peeling one of his jacket pockets open and unlocked the door.

"I'll get you something to change into…" He mumbled as he wandered off into one of the rooms. I shifted my weight from foot to foot and felt guilty for a moment as I dripped all over the floor. It'd be a pain to mop all this water up later. Then again, Edward was trailing it all over.

"I got you some sweats and there are towels in the bathroom…first door on the left…" He told me with a furrowed brow and a concentrated gaze. From his soaking wet hair to his lack of shirt, I highly doubted that any thought went into his outfit. His towel was hanging around his neck and it drew my eyes down to his well structured chest. _Isabella Marie, how old are you? It's rude to stare, even at perfection._

He padded in his bare feet over to the little keyboard sitting near one of the beds and plunked down, grabbing his composition pad as he went. I heard him tapping out keys as I wandered into the bathroom.

I left my clothes to dry in the bathtub and towel dried my hair as best I could. Edward's sweatpants were two sizes too big, and they barely stayed up with the string tied as tight as it went. I felt too exposed thanks to how low they were slung on my hips, but his too long t-shirt helped.

I meandered back out to find Edward completely lost in thought. His left hand was playing a beautiful piece on the keyboard keys and his right was scratching various notes on his paper. Occasionally he would stop and play something over a few times, but then he seemed to decide and write something else down.

I curled up on a chair sitting next to an empty stand and proceeded to memorize everything about Edward.

He didn't chew on his pencil. When he was agitated or rushed, he ran his fingers through his hair. If he got frustrated, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his pale, slim fingers. He closed his eyes and drummed his fingers out in imaginary tunes for minutes before he even touched the keyboard. When his eyelids would slip open after that, his golden eyes were completely unfocused and dreamy. He himself was a work of art.

"Damn." He muttered after a moment's respite. He made one final mark on his paper and threw his pencil down, running his hand through his hair one last time. "Lost it…"

"Sorry about that, Bella. It's just…all of a sudden, I could picture the entire thing and I didn't want to lose it-"

"Its fine Edward," I interrupted him. "Trust me. It happens to me all the time. I got a detention last year for running out of my math class to get my sketch pad."

"Thank you." He said sheepishly.

"Besides, now I know what you look like when you're composing. The picture will be more real this way." I explained. He grinned appreciatively.

"Alice will nev-"

But I never got to hear what Alice would never do, because the buzzing of Edward's phone near his keyboard interrupted him.

"It's Alice," He said as he looked at the little silver screen. "Hold on, I'll put it on speaker…"

"Hey Alice!" I greeted as I heard the fuzz of background noise.

"Bella? But I called Edward's phone." She stated.

"I'm here too, Alice." Edward said.

"Oh. Well, that makes things easier. We're on our way home now, so be ready to leave for dinner in a half an hour. That means my version of ready, Bella, not yours." Alice ordered. I grew pale at the thought of ever being "Alice" ready.

"And Bella?" Alice added.

"Yeah?" I asked hesitantly. Knowing Alice, she would ask me to do the impossible and wear make-up or something.

"I think one of my bracelets fell into your bag and I want to wear it tonight. We're running late and won't be able to get out of the car, so can you get it for me?" She asked.

"Sure thing, Alice." I agreed.

"Thanks. See you in a few!" She said jovially.

"Dang it! My bag is down with the rest of our stuff at Vivaldi." I exclaimed.

"I'll go with you. Is it cool if I wait at your room until they get here?" He asked as he got up and went to the dresser sitting near the closet.

"Yeah, that's fine." I said as I began to gather my stuff from the bathroom.

Three minutes later, we were leaving Edward's room dressed like a circus couple. Edward looked perfect in his jeans and dark blue button down shirt, and I looked like a mess in his sweats and shirt carrying my sopping wet clothing in my hands. On the plus side, it had stopped raining, but it had also gotten particularly warm.

"It's rather hot, don't you think?" Edward asked as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

"Yeah…" I said, groaning a bit as I readjusted the heavy pile of clothes in my arms.

"Here, let me take those." He insisted once he saw that I was struggling. I wasted the rest of the walk on protests, but they fell on deaf ears.

"See Bella, I was fine." He told me smugly. I glared darkly before swinging open the door and marching in. I began to run around and gather up the various stuff I would need over the next day and a half, scooping it into a haphazard pile in my arms.

"Wow," Edward breathed from somewhere near the door. He had been silent as I hunted, so it startled me into awareness. My heart sank when I realized just where he was standing and what he was peering at so intently.

"NO!" I hollered as I dropped the stuff in my arms on the piano bench and raced over to snatch the paper out of his hands. Unfortunately, Edward had a good seven inches on me.

"Please, it's no good!" I begged as I tried to reach for it.

"Bella, this is the most amazing piece of art I've ever seen!" He said before folding it up carefully and sticking it into his wallet.

"I really hate you sometimes." I told him dejectedly as I shoved my remaining things into my bag.

"I think you're bluffing." He whispered in my ear as he bent down to snatch my bag. My breath caught in my throat and my heart skipped a beat, but when I finally whirled around, he was at the door.

"Are you coming?" He asked with a smirk. I rolled my eyes and walked over to join him. We spent the reminder of our walk arguing about our favorite classic literature, which quickly snowballed into our favorite version of their movie counterparts.

"C'mon, the sixties version is amazing." I said incredulously as he made a face. I ducked under his arm to walk into my room and he followed after, shutting the door with a resounding thud.

"They just make love seem so…fickle." He said distastefully. I shook my head one last time, effectively ending the argument, before throwing open the doors of my closet…and finding nothing.

"Alice!" I cried in despair and frustration. As if on cue, my phone began buzzing in my pocket. Edward was busy fiddling with something near the window, but I could hear his phone going off too.

"Alice! I was just-"

"Bella! Oh, thank God. Rose, I've got her, you can hang up now. Bella, it's just going to be four tonight. Jasper got tickets to see that new ballet tonight and he's picking me up in twenty minutes!" Alice said quickly.

"Alice, you took all of my clothes!" I wailed, too focused on getting dressed in something I didn't feel half naked in, though the sweats were kind of comfy.

"Ugh!" She groaned. "Hang on, we'll be up in five. You are home, right?"

"Yes, but-"

_Click_.

"She just hung up on me." I muttered. Unbelievable.

"Fine then. If she has my clothes, I can wear whatever I want." I said stubbornly. I grabbed a pair of jeans and shirt at random from a box I'd hidden beneath my bed before marching off to the bathroom to get changed.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I stepped into chaos. Alice and Rosalie were whipping clothes out of bags and onto hangers and beds at the speed of light, while poor Edward was stuck with the job of hanging anything thrown at him in the closet. Rosalie would shout out colors and brands every three items or so, and Alice would bark a quick yes or no before grabbing it and throwing it onto the bed or floor.

"This is almost comical…"I mumbled before shaking my head and stumbling through the warzone to reach my two lunatic friends. I gently pried their hands away from everything and turned them to face me. "Just pick an outfit for tonight, Alice. We'll clean up the rest later."

"But Bella, this has to be perfect. I'm so nervous…" Alice said quietly as she looked up at me in fright.

"Alice, you'll look fantastic no matter what you wear." Edward said from his spot on the floor, trying to dig himself out of the massive amounts of clothing.

"Oh, Edward!" She squealed happily as she ran and threw herself into the clothes to grab him in a hug. "That's the first nice thing you've ever said about me dating!"

"Aw, c'mon Alice, you make me sound like a bad guy. I'm your big brother. I'm supposed to protect you." Edward said as he looked down at her fondly.

"Edward, that's a load of bull. You're only two minutes older than me, first of all. And second of all," Her voice softened and she forced Edward to look her in the eyes. "You'll always be my big brother, and I'll always love you."

"As happy as I am for you two, Jasper's going to be here in fifteen minutes." Rosalie interrupted as Edward opened his mouth to respond.

Alice swore delicately before she leapt up and grabbed a dress out of a bag and sprinting into the bathroom. She emerged thirteen minutes later (I had been appointed to timekeeper to ensure that she would not be more than five minutes behind, which was "fashionably late") looking like she had just waltzed out of a vintage movie.

It was chic and beautiful and fabulous, and _so_ Alice. I wasn't much of a fashion girl, but the dress was gorgeous and perfect for the local ballet. She had her hair more relaxed and wavy and only added a vibrant shade of red lipstick, but she looked perfect.

"Oh, Alice." I sighed appreciatively. "He'll love you."

"You think so?" She asked as she spun around.

"If he doesn't, I'll show you every single embarrassing baby picture ever taken." Rosalie promised wickedly as she went to Alice's side to attach a shawl made of the same light material in some off the shoulder fashion.

"You look beautiful, Alice." Edward said as he kissed her cheek and began to shoo her out the door. "He's waiting."

"Bye guys! Have fun tonight!" Alice hollered as Edward ushered her out the door. We wished her luck and watched her and Edward walk down the stairs. Edward made sure Alice was buckled into Jasper's car before saying something sternly to Jasper. Jasper nodded and Edward relaxed before they did some weird man-shake. _Why can't men just shake hands?_

Jasper got into his car and he and Alice pulled out of the parking space just as a huge Jeep peeled into the parking lot.

"Emmett." Rosalie muttered as she shook her head and smiled.

Emmett barreled out of the car and shoved his way past Edward and up the stairs. Rosalie sighed and made her way to the door, opening it up just as Emmett sprinted past.

"Rosalie!" He shouted as he skidded to a stop at the end of the hall.

"Rosalie!" He panted as he stopped in our doorway. "Guess what?"

"I don't know, Emmett, what?" Rosalie asked drily. She would have seemed unenthused, but the smile on her face and the way her eyes lit up gave her away.

"Oh, hey Bella." Emmett greeted as he noticed me standing next to Rosalie. "Guess what I just nabbed?"

"What is it this time, Emmett?" Rosalie asked suspiciously. From what I had heard about their relationship, she had reason to be suspicious.

"I just got four tickets to the local theatre's closing night! It's their last show until April!" He said excitedly.

"Really?" She squealed as she grabbed the tickets out of his hands and stared at them. "Emmett, I've wanted tickets to this for months!"

"I know," Emmett said slyly before scooping her up in his big arms. Thankfully, Edward walked into the room and provided a welcome distraction to their impromptu make-out session.

"What's going on?" He asked as he stepped through the door and past the happy couple.

"Emmett got us all tickets to the closing night of a theatre's season." I explained.

"So what time are we leaving?" Rosalie asked breathlessly as she broke away from their kiss.

"Show's not till eight, so I figured we could head out to dinner." Emmett replied. Now that I looked at him, he was awfully dressed up. Where his usual ensemble involved faded ripped jeans, a t-shirt, and backwards baseball cap, he was currently dressed in dark jeans and a button down shirt. He wasn't even wearing a hat.

"Great. Why don't you guys go wait down at the cars and we'll meet you in fifteen minutes." Rosalie said as she jumped out of his arms and began shoving the boys out the door.

"But Ros-"

"Now." She interrupted him with a stern voice.

"Fine." Emmett grumbled as he pulled Edward out the door, mumbling something about women.

"Now, we're going to fix you up." Rosalie said excitedly as she flew over to the bags and began digging through them. She pulled out a grey dress and a giant black belt and waltzed out just minutes later looking like she came straight off the runway. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders and her long legs looked even longer in her black tights and white heels. Somehow, she made all of the classy pieces seem casual enough to wear out tonight.

"Your turn!" She said as she held up pair of skinny jeans and an off-the-shoulder asymmetrical blue top. I sighed, but went in the bathroom and changed as I was told. I marched out when I was done and Rosalie cooed at me before shoving me onto Alice's bed and untwisting my braid. When my hair was finally undone, she came over and told me to shut my eyes. I could feel her painting some eyeliner on, and when I was told to open my eyes and stand up, there were heels on my feet.

"Rose-"

"You'll be fine. I promise." She said, looking so pleased with her work that I couldn't let her down. Rosalie and I hadn't shared that instant connection Alice and I had, so I was going to welcome any friendship with her that I got.

"Look at yourself, Bella. You look beautiful." She said softly as she turned me to look at the mirror in the closet.

I almost didn't recognize myself. There was a girl in the mirror who looked slightly uncomfortable in a chic outfit. She was wearing heels, and sparkly teal eyeliner. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders…and that girl was me.

"Wow." I said in awe. I felt…beautiful.

"Not too shabby, huh? Alice and I worked hard today. Thank God we did, cause your wardrobe sucked." She said proudly as she picked a string off the front of the shirt.

"Look at that, we're even a whole minute early!" She cheered as she looked at the clock. "Let's go."

We walked down the stairs (well, she walked, I stumbled) and made our way over the Jeep parked right next to Edward's Volvo. They were sitting in their driver's seats with the window's rolled down, arguing about something.

"Nu-uh. You got her all day, Edward! I call dibs on Bella!" Emmett yelled.

"You can't call dibs on a person!" Edward shot back.

"DIBS!" Emmett hollered stubbornly.

Rosalie muttered an apology to me before stomping her way over to the passenger's side of Emmett's car. She slammed the door and turned on the music to some blaring rap station before yelling something at him. I saw her smack him on the head before motioning me to go ride with Edward.

"You were calling dibs?" I giggled as I slid into the seat. Edward grinned sheepishly as he pulled out after Emmett.

"I don't like to share." He said with a wink. I blushed a brilliant red and looked down at my hands.

"You look wonderful tonight, Bella." He said softly. My head snapped up to look at him as he stared straight ahead at the road. My heart beat just a little faster and my face turned a darker pink, if that was even possible.

We stayed silent the rest of the ride, though it was more of a comfortable silence than anything else. I stared at the scenery passing by outside the window and let my thoughts wander. Piano music floated through the car and Edward hummed along. The car stopped at a restaurant near the edge of the city, and we all piled out of our respective vehicles.

"Table for four, please." Emmett said as we reached the hostess. She eyed the boys appreciatively before ushering us over to a secluded table in the back.

"Your server will be right with you." She purred before strutting away. If Emmett or Edward noticed her, they didn't say anything.

"I'm starved," Emmett moaned as he looked over the menu.

"Me too," Rosalie agreed.

"Hello, my name's Jacob and I'll be your server today. What can I get you to drink?" A guy around our age asked as he walked up to our table.

"I'll have a water." Rosalie said.

"Make that two please." Edward piped up.

"Wimps. I'll have a coke." Emmet said boisterously.

"Coke is fine, thanks." I said. He nodded and walked away.

"Emmet, why didn't you buy six tickets?" I asked curiously as the thought occurred to me.

"Who do you think convinced Jasper to buy those tickets for Alice tonight?" He grinned slyly. We laughed when he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

We spent most of dinner that way, laughing and learning little things about one another we didn't know. Like, Edward and Alice were vegetarians. Rosalie hates country music, while it reminds Emmett of home. And none of them liked dogs.

After splitting the bill and sharing directions to the theatre, we "raced" over to the theatre and made it to our seats just as the lights started to dim. The show was amazing, as expected, though I couldn't focus on much. Edward was sitting on my left and it felt like there was a field of electricity between us. I was hyper aware of every move he made, and I let out a sigh of relief when the actors did their final bows.

"Man, did you see that set? That was amazing! I wonder how they rigged that wall…" Emmett wondered aloud as we walked over to our cars.

"I don't know, but did you see that actress? I hate her. She was absolutely flawless in that role. I think she was even crying for real." Rosalie grumbled jealously.

"You're ten times better than her on a bad day." Emmett promised her as he slung his arm over her shoulder. She leaned into him and rested her head on his chest. They veered left towards their car while we kept walking straight. We had lost the race, and ultimately, the closer parking spot.

"So what did you think of the show?" I asked Edward.

"It was…interesting." He said with a wry smile. "What did you think of it?"

"Interesting is a good word for it." I agreed as I remembered that _need_ to touch him.

"Damnit!" Edward groaned as he approached the driver's side of the Volvo. "Is that a dent?"

He bent down and started fiddling with something on the car, and I went to go and sit in the passenger's seat. But a noise from a nearby alley distracted me. I crept closer to try and see what it was.

It was a tiny alley, hardly big enough to fit more than three people side to side. There was a flickering streetlight at the end, and I shivered at the foreboding feeling. I glanced back over my shoulder and made sure that I could still see the car before I pressed on.

I made it to the streetlight when I realized what the noise was. A dog had gotten its foot stuck in a grate and couldn't get it loose.

"Oh, you poor thing," I cooed comfortingly at it. I held out my hand and when he didn't bite me, I reached down and wiggled his paw free. He ran away as soon as possible, and I sighed in relief that I was just getting creeped out for nothing.

"Beautiful…"Someone whispered from behind me. My heart sank and I could feel the adrenaline start to build up in my veins. I started to walk quickly away from whoever talked and picked up my pace when I heard them again.

"Aw, don't run, sweetheart." A man purred as he grabbed my hand. I lost my balance as my heels fought to gain resistance on the ground and I fell into his body. He took advantage of this as he pulled me tighter, sliding an arm up to wrap around my collarbone and keep me in place.

"Let go of me!" I protested as I fought, sifting through my thoughts desperately to find any way to escape. The year of self-defense my mother had made me take was a just a garbled mess, and I began to panic.

"Let's get to know each other, gorgeous. My name is James. What's yours?" He hissed into my ear, letting his mouth press against the side of my face.

"Let go of me, or I'll scream." I threatened weakly. I might have sounded threatening, but my voice quavered.

"I like them feisty." He laughed. I winced and fought back a cry.

"I'm an actor. I was watching you in there. So beautiful…" He murmured. I shivered, but my brain began kicking into hyper-drive.

"_I'm James, nineteen. I act." The strange looking man said, looking directly at me as he recited the necessary information. He was starting to freak me out a bit, but then another girl started talking again and I forgot all about the disconcerting experience…_

"James!" I gasped in recognition.

"You like that, don't you?" He cooed as he kissed my ear.

"AAAAA-" I attempted to scream, but he threw me on the ground and I got the wind knocked out of me. As I gasped, James chuckled maniacally.

"Bella, I should have realized there was not a more attractive woman than you in this world." He smiled proudly as he recognized my face in the dim light.

"EDWARD!!!" I screamed in the direction of the car.

"Who's Edward, my pet?" He asked, growing angry.

When I didn't answer him, his face twisted and he knelt down beside me, grabbing my shoulders roughly.

"Who is he, Bella?" He growled as he shook me.

"Get the hell away from her." A low voice hissed.

"Back off, boy, she's mine." James said as he turned to look at the man.

"Remove your hands now." The voice growled through clenched teeth. When James didn't reply, I heard feet moving closer and shut my eyes, anticipating violence. After a scuffle and a few brief cries, someone pulled me up off the ground and held me close to them. I inhaled deeply and allowed my body to relax as I realized that it was Edward's arms comforting me, Edward's hands gently running over my arms, Edward's voice murmuring reassurances.

"James." Edward greeted icily.

"Cullen." James acknowledged in the same manner.

"Don't think for a second I'll keep this a secret." Edward vowed.

"You have no proof. If there's one thing the Dean hates more than anything, it's a liar." James shot back smugly.

"You're never going to touch her again." Edward promised darkly.

James said nothing, simply standing there and smirking as he stared us down. "I won't touch her again if neither of you say a word."

He didn't give either of us a chance to answer, but merely spun on his heel and darted away. Edward flinched, as if he wanted to follow, but he seemed to remember that I was in his arms and stayed put.

"Shh, Bella. It's okay. I'm here now." He whispered gently. He was too calm. There was something he was hiding, and I was going to find out."

**Music Listened To:**

**Fearless (Taylor Swift), Drops of Jupiter (Train), Party Like A Rock Star (Shop Boyz), Kiss Me (Sixpence None the Richer), Everything (Michael Bublé), Diva (Béyonce), Hey Stephen (Taylor Swift), Fairytale (Sara Bareilles), El Tango Roxanne (Moulin Rouge), Clocks (Coldplay), Superman (Five For Fighting), At Last (Etta James), The Way You Do The Things You Do (Mindbenders)**

**Uhm…oops? I have no idea how time passed this fast. It feels like I just posted, and here I am, barely making the three month mark. That is pathetic. I hate excuses, but I was really stressed with everything going on and bad things would have happened with the story. Again, I try to write when I can, but sometimes writer's block hits and I can't get from point A to point B. **

**BUT. **

**Whilst on a trip, MAJOR inspiration hit for this story, Edward's Story, Dorm Dilemma, and two other stories I'm waiting to post until I finish Dorm Dilemma and Race. Now that I know where my destination is, there shouldn't be any more gas station trips and the map should be that much easier to write (like my road trip reference?). **

**So I'm sorry for the break, but I really am trying. Don't desert me please! I even made this chapter juiced up on Word Steroids to butter you up! ;)**


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